


Redswap

by 123seven3



Series: Redswap [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Spoilers - Neutral Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 51,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6038620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/123seven3/pseuds/123seven3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A single upheaval threatens to ruin the entire Underground's hopes and dreams, starting from the very beginning...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Human

The child walked slowly. They wished this wasn’t necessary. They held their knapsack closer to them, gripping it tightly. They were determined to change things for the better, no matter the cost.

Maybe they would go back home someday. Maybe the disappearance of their child would give their parents time to think about them and each other. Maybe when they came back, their parents would stop being mad at each other. Maybe they would even stop being mad at them. Maybe…

A low-hanging branch slapped them in the face as they were distracted, and it left a tiny scratch on their cheek. They stopped, rummaged through their knapsack, and pulled out a single bandage. They applied it, re-tied the knapsack, and carried on. They looked up at the sky, and saw that dark storm clouds were forming on the horizon, behind Mt Ebott.

An hour later, as the sun was setting behind the mountain, it began to drizzle. Twenty minutes after that, the wind was howling, lightning struck, and the rain started coming in horizontal. The bandage got drenched, yet somehow remained stuck firmly to their skin. But the handkerchief from their knapsack came untied and flew away. Everything inside landed in the mud, and their food, water, and supplies were unusable. Using the stick as a cane, though uncertain of what came next, they continued onward towards the mountain.

With the full moon rising behind them, and the rain showing no signs of calming, they sought shelter on the mountain. Lightning flashes illuminated a cave not far from them, just up ahead. It would be a perfect place to stay out of the rain. A darkness so complete filled the cave, but they were sure shadows were always deep during stormy nights. But as they stepped inside, and a flash of lightning illuminated the inside of the cave, they immediately realized they had made a grave mistake.

There was a large hole where the floor would be, but as they tried to bring themselves to a halt, the damp pebbles at the edge spilled out from under them like so many marbles, sending them feet-first into the hole. They could not turn around in time to grab the ledge, and they had already fallen too far to reach it anyways. But the fall into the dark abyss didn’t stop there, as much as they wished it would. They had time to think about how fast they were falling, about what would happen when they hit the ground, and they tensed up as they thought about what they were leaving beh—

They land. The sound of splintering bone echoes on the cavern walls, followed shortly by the sounds of a child screaming in agony. The tears come and they let them. A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the entrance. They had fallen far. With the sound of the storm, nobody passing by would hear them, and they were too far down anyways, and nobody knew where they had gone…

They knew this was surely the end. They were in so much pain, a pain that ate at the edges of their vision. They slipped into unconsciousness with a scream.

  
They wake up. A trickle of water can be heard somewhere along the walls of the cave. The rain is still there, as is the pain. They start sobbing and calling for help. They can feel a warm wetness on their leg. Time passes.

The clouds part, and a shaft of moonlight plays over their body, but fails to illuminate the rest of the cave. The thunder is far off now. They shiver as they sob feebly. They hear footsteps nearby, and they cry out as loud as they can. The footsteps stop. “Huh?” a small voice echoes down the halls. “It sounded like it came from…”

The child screams again, “help me!” They sob.

“Over here!?” The steps pick up speed and get louder, closer. Suddenly, someone is by their side, saying, “Oh, you’ve fallen, haven’t you? Are you okay?” It is the voice of a child, and there is real concern in his voice, in his eyes that gleam at them from the darkness. “Here, get up.” And suddenly the boy is helping them to their feet.

They cough and scream as soon the boy lifts them.

“Sorry!” the boy blurts out. Startled, he lets go.

The child falls back on the ground and sobs harder.

In the moonlight that illuminates them, the boy sees how injured the child is, and the blood that has pooled at their legs. The boy sounds panicked as he says, “We need to get you home! My mom knows healing magic!”

The child nods through their pain, and the boy picks them up. They wince and shout again, but they feel safer as they bury their face in his sweater. They grow tired. They realize suddenly the sweater is warm because they are cold, so they hold the sweater even closer.

The boy is concerned, yet seems excited. “We’ve never had a human fall down here before! After we get you fixed up, we’ll be best of friends for sure!”

They smile, but it slowly fades. “W-what’s y-y-your name?” the child sobs weakly. They are so cold.

“My name?” The boy smiles widely. “Asriel! Asriel Dreemurr!”

“Th-that’s a n-n-nice n-name. M-my name is…..” They trail off.

The boy feels the child go limp in his arms, and his smile fades immediately. “Wait! Stay with me!” He holds the child closer. “We’re almost there! Hold on just a little longer, okay?” He feared the child was dead. He quickens his pace as tears began cluttering his eyes.

  
“MOOOM!!!” Asriel cries as he enters the garden of Home. “DAAAD!!!”

Asgore, working in the garden, turns at the sound of his son’s frantic call. He freezes when he sees what his son is carrying. “TORI!” he booms, “GET A BED READY!” Asgore then rushes over to his son.

Asriel looks at his dad. “They fell down. They couldn’t walk. They stopped talking.”

“I’ll take them for you.” Asgore kneels down and carefully retrieves the human from his son. He looks it over. There’s a lot of blood, coming from their leg, leaving a trail down far into the hallway. The leg is unmistakably broken. He turns around and walks as fast as he can into the house.

Toriel meets them in the front hall. “Asgore, honey, what’s going o—“ she stops when she sees the body. She takes it all in. Her child, blood all in his fur and shirt, and tears in his eyes, and her husband, holding a broken human’s body… She understands what she needs to do, and leads them into Asriel’s room.

Asgore lays the human on the bed. Toriel looks at the child, assesses their wounds, aligns the broken bone, and begins using her healing magic on the child. The process is very quick.

Asriel looks at them. “Are they going to be okay?”

Toriel smiles. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.” She glances at her son and adds, “They will need a little time to wake up, but they should be fine. In the meantime, you should go take a bath. While you’re in there I’ll throw your clothes in the laundry.”

Asriel looks at himself, feels the blood beginning to cake on his fur, and agrees. Toriel escorts him out and draws the bath.

Asgore waits for his wife to return, and gazes at the human. They seemed so peaceful now, like there was never any blood or emergency at all just five minutes before. He smiles, but he is still very tense. When the child wakes up, will it be scared? Will it be violent?

“That’s the easiest time I’ve ever had getting him to take a bath.” Toriel walks into the room and puts her arm around Asgore. Her touch is gentle, but her face stern. “So… there’s a human in our son’s bed.”

“Asriel said they had fallen from the surface."

Toriel nods. “I know. Asriel couldn’t stop talking about them. He’s very worried about their health, and hopeful of a friendship…”

Asgore nodded. “As a child, Asriel sees the best in the world, but…” Asgore scoffs. “It’s difficult to imagine allowing a human near our child. After everything…”

“Truthfully, neither can I, but…” Toriel looks away. “Asriel insists that he has a good feeling about them. I tried to tell him how humans were dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen to any of it.” She smiled. “It doesn’t appear to be our place to decide where they go.”  
Asgore’s breath tightened.  “It’s not like they can leave anyways. Even if they are a bad person, what else can we do?”

Toriel holds him closer. “Just because humans can live without love and compassion doesn’t mean they can’t learn it. So, we can teach them all about it, right?”

He smiles. “Yeah, Tori! We’ll do great!”

Several minutes of tense waiting around pass. The child has still not woken up.

Toriel looks towards the hall. “Asriel is probably through with his bath now. I’ll go take care of that.”

Asgore watches her turn out of the room, then looks back at the human. The idea of allowing a human into their home filled Asgore with a sense of dread, but he feels a little bit of hope that this human, the only human to have fallen down here since they were locked in this cave, can pave the way to a greater understanding between the two races. Just maybe everything will work out okay?

  
Magic can mend the body, but it can’t replace lost blood, of which there was a lot. Asriel had insisted at staying by their side until they woke up. Before long, he had fallen asleep in his chair.

The human slowly opened their eyes and sat up in their bed, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They wondered where they were, but then they remember falling. Looking down at their leg, they see blood caked on their pants, but they feel no pain in their leg. They look around the gray room absently. The bed, the floor, the walls, the wardrobe… All of it is so foreign, yet they feel so safe. A horrible feeling turns their stomach as they realize... They must be dead.

They notice a warm pressure at their side. A dog? They reach over to pet its head. The animal stirs and opens its eyes. When it sees them, its face brightens and it sits upright. “Hi there!” it says cheerfully.

They were taken aback, and yelped without fully intending to.

Asriel startles at the noise, but stayed where he was sitting. “You’ve never seen a monster before, huh?” He smiles. “It’s okay, I’ve never seen a human before, either. So we’re already teaching each other a lot.” He sees the look on their face. “Are… are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know…” They sigh and add. “I died, didn’t I?”

“What!?”

“I fell and broke my leg and nobody found me so I died. This is the afterlife.”

Asriel smiles, and says “No, silly. I saved you. I heard you crying and I came and carried you to my house. Mom healed you. You almost didn’t make it. There was a lot of blood and the walk was far.” Asriel’s smile gets wider. “But I got you here just in time! And you’re all better now!”

They ask, “So when can I go home?”

He falters. “I… Uh… N-n-never. You can’t.” He frowns. “You’re trapped here just like the rest of us.”

“Oh.”  But the memory of them being found resurfaces. They remember a name? “Asriel… That’s your name isn’t it?”

“That’s right!” Asriel beams. “You never finished telling me your name, by the way.”

“I’m sorry.” They put out their hand. “My name is Frisk!”

Asriel takes their hand and shakes it. “Frisk, huh? That’s a nice name.”


	2. Of Pies and Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk learns a valuable lesson from a competent individual.

“So… I’m in an underground world full of monsters?”

Asriel smiled. “Yup! And I’m their prince!” Asriel looks away wistfully. “All the monsters look up to my parents. They’re so cool.”

As if on cue, Toriel popped her head in. “Everything okay in here?”

“Yes, Mom!” Asriel replied, annoyed. When she walked away, he asked Frisk, “Why does she keep checking in on us? We're doing just fine!”

They shrugged. “Maybe she’s just being cautious around the new kid. I mean, she wouldn’t know if I’m some kind of crazy axe murderer, right?”

Asriel laughed. “But you don’t have an axe!”

Frisk laughed too. “Yeah, but I have a stick! That’s, like, half an axe, right?”

He thought about that for a second. “Yeah, I guess? But you’d still have to find the top part.”

Frisk smiled. “I’d rather beat you over the head with a flower anyways.”

Asriel looked slightly concerned. "That sounds like it would hurt."

Frisk laughed. “That’s silly, flowers can’t hurt people!” They looked away. “Besides, I don’t think I could hurt anyone even if I wanted to.”

Asriel smiled. “Yeah, me neither.”

Asgore popped his head in the door. “You two doing okay?”

Asriel sighed. “Yes, Dad, we’re doing fine.”

“That’s good.” He looked at Frisk. “Uh, Frisk. Would you… Like some tea?”

They nodded. “Sure, that sounds good!”

Asriel squealed, “Can I have some too?”

Asgore smiled. “Of course.” He turned out of the room. “Follow me, you two. We can sit in the living room.”

They both followed him into the living room, where a kettle had been placed at the table. There were four chairs, and at each spot was a teacup and a plate of...

Asriel shouts, “Pie!” He jumps into his seat out of joy, and nearly knocks the chair over. Within seconds, Asriel has already shoveled a forkful into his mouth.

Frisk tentatively places a forkful on their own tongue. They chew it. The crust is crunchy, and the filling a perfect consistency. Frisk beams. “This is good!” But they can’t figure out what flavor it is… It’s tart and tangy and sweet. It puts them off a little bit. They look at Toriel. “What flavor is it?”

Toriel beams back. “I didn’t know what to make for you, so I made my signature snail pie recipe! I’m glad you like it.”

It’s then that they feel the slime. Frisk immediately spits what they were chewing back onto the plate, and begin hastily scraping their slimy tongue with their fork.

Toriel’s smile quickly vanishes, and is replaced by concern. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

Frisk takes a sip of the tea. It’s still very hot, and they scald their tongue. But the pain goes away momentarily, as does the flavor. “Yeah,” they say after a moment. “I just…” They grimace. “Snails are slimy and gross.”

Toriel looks confused. “But, my child, didn’t you just say you liked it?”

Frisk slowly pushes it further away from them. “Yeah, but… I didn’t know what was in it. I’d never eat a snail, not even if you promised me all the chocolate in the world afterwards!”

Toriel frowned. “Ah. I see… I did not know you would feel so strongly about it. Please excuse me.” She gets up and walks into the kitchen.

Asriel eyes the human’s unfinished pie. “Can I have that?”

Frisk pushes it over to him without hesitation. “Please do.”

An awkward pause ensues as Asriel and Asgore eat their pies in silence. Frisk takes another sip of their tea.

Asgore says, “So… you like the tea?”

Frisk nods. “It’s a little hot, but it’s got a nice flavor to it.”

He smiles. “That’s good…”

Toriel walks out of the kitchen, with her hands behind her back. She sits down and says, “I found this in Waterfall.” She takes out from behind her back…

A bar of chocolate! Frisk takes it, and tears the wrapper open. They take a small bite out of it, and melt into their seat. “Oh my God, it’s been so long…” They take another bite.

Toriel smiles. “I was going to use it in a recipe, but… I haven’t found any recipes for chocolate yet.”

Frisk stops chewing for a moment. “You don’t know about cookies, do you?”

Toriel looks interested. “What are ‘cookies’?”

Frisk takes another bite. “Cookies are like… Well, they’re… They’re like little cakes, but with chocolate chunks in them.”

She looks more confused. “What’s a…. cake?”

Frisk takes another bite. “They’re like… Oh geez… It’s like a pie, but without the crust, and more fluffy and firm.”

“Ah... Maybe you can teach me how to make it?”

Frisk smiles. “I’d love to!”

Asriel finishes, and puts down their fork. “Thank you, Mom! Perfect as always!”

She beams at him. “Anything for you, my son! Now let’s go get you washed up.”

He looks at Frisk. “But we still have so much to talk about!”

She smiles patiently. “Frisk will still be here when you are done. Now let’s go.”

“But—“ Toriel gives him a stern look. He gets up from his chair with a resigned look on his face. “Okay, Mom.”

She leads him out of the room. On her way out, she nods to Asgore, who turns back to the child.

When his wife and son are out of sight, he addresses the human. “Frisk, I need to show you something.” He gets out of his chair, and keeps his back to them. “Long ago, humans and monsters lived together in peace on the surface. But one day, a war broke out. It was a long battle, but the humans were victorious. We were driven back, and sealed underground with a powerful magic spell.” He turns back to Frisk. “They feared us because of an ability we had. When a human dies, their soul persists after death for a while. During this time, a monster can absorb their soul, and become incredibly powerful. Though we had never taken a human soul, they still feared our power.” Asgore trembled a little. “Monsters use magic attacks to hurt your soul. If a monster has a desire to fight you, or is very emotional…” Asgore appeared to be straining himself. “Then your soul will materialize in front of you for us to attack.”

Frisk was already paying attention, but suddenly they felt a strange feeling in their chest, from their shoulders to their belly button. A red glow filtered through their sweater, and they watched in awe as it floated out like a ghost, got smaller, solidified(?), and hovered in front of them.

“This is your soul. The culmination of your entire being.”

It was a red heart. Frisk cupped their hands around it. It felt… durable, yet fragile at the same time.

“Please do not be alarmed, this is for demonstration’s sake.” A ball of fire appeared in Asgore’s hand. “Magic like this, if it touches your soul, will cause damage to it. Too much damage, and your soul will be too weak to keep your body alive.” The fire vanished, and he said, “On the surface, Humans and Monsters would normally live far apart. But you are in the realm of monsters now. Some don’t know that they can hurt you in this manner. If a monster does begin to hurt you, you can move your soul away from their magic. How far you can move it from you depends on who you’re fighting, and the intent they have to hurt you. Try to move it around.”

Frisk looked at their soul. They willed it to the center of the table, and it complied, knocking over a teacup in its way.

Asgore smiled. “Seems you have the hang of it. You can put it away now, if you like.”

They willed their soul back into their chest. It floated into the very middle of their chest, and they could feel it wriggling as it expanded to fill their body. The red glow subsided, and they looked up at Asgore, saying, “So the humans attacked you before you could hurt them?”

Asgore nodded gravely.

“So you had to fight back?”

He nodded solemnly.

“But you never wanted to hurt them, did you?"

He nodded painfully.

"They were just afraid.” Frisk smiles wistfully. “I’m sure if they got to know you better, they wouldn’t have been so scared.”

He raised his gaze, and met Frisk’s eyes. “But they DID know us, and they were afraid anyways.”

Frisk shrugged. “Then they didn’t get to know you enough.”

Before Asgore could reply, Asriel came bursting into the room. “Frisk!” He ran over and grabbed their hand. “What do you want to do now?”

Asgore smiled. “You know, it’s a beautiful day outside. Perfect weather for a game of catch.”

Asriel ran to his room, calling, “I have a ball in my room somewhere!” He pushed past Toriel, apologizing, and continued to his room.

Frisk went to follow him, but turned and said to Asgore, “Thank you.” They paused and added, “…Dad.” Then they went into the main hallway, where Asriel was already waiting by the door. The two of them ran into the garden, laughing.

When they had left, Toriel turned to her husband and asked, with a look of shock on her face, “Did the human just call you… ‘Dad’?”

He smiled. “Yes, I think they did.”

Her face lifted into a happy smile. “That’s so cute.” She put her arm around him.

Asgore frowned. “We need to tell the other monsters about them. What will they say when we tell them we are raising a human child?”

She held him closer and said, “I’m sure they’ll understand. Frisk isn’t like the other humans, are they?”

He shook his head. “Indeed. I told them about the history of our people. But they insisted it was just a misunderstanding.” He smiled. “Maybe this actually is a new era of prosperity for our two races?”

Toriel smiled. “It would give the others hope.”

Asgore nodded and said, “Then that is what we shall do.”

They stood there in silence for a moment. Toriel finally says, “You should go out and play catch with your children.”

Asgore’s smile widens, and he nods. “Okay, Tori.” They nuzzle their noses affectionately. “See you shortly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed a gendered Frisk typo.
> 
> About snail pies, the slime is a leftover ingredient. The pie itself dissolves quickly, but snail slime coats the tongue afterwards.  
> Also, I think it's important to note that Frisk is the kind of person who nibbles their chocolate and savors every tiny bite.


	3. The Eighth Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with what is surely a demon.

“Is it recording?” Asks Frisk.

Asriel responds, “All right Frisk, are you ready? Do your silly face!”

A pause.

Asriel shouted, “AHHHHH! Hee hee hee!” He looks down at the camera. “Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on.”

Frisk, playfully, says, “Missed your chance.”

“What!? You’re not gonna do it again?”

Silence.

Asriel pleads, “Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!”

 

* * *

 

Angry footsteps rang dully through the trees. A child is running through the forest, on an overgrown path. The locket around their neck jangles as they run, a chef’s knife in hand. It was a clear day. This was the last time this would happen. Their parents had pushed them too far this time. In a fit of anger, they announced they were going to the mountain to never return like all the others, grabbed a knife, and left. Their parents had screamed after them as they left, but that only made them run faster. They had been begged like that in the past, and had fallen for it every time, like a child. But then it’d be back to the same old crap within a week. This just proved they could never change, that they believed they were right, no matter how much their child was hurt by them.

So they ran. They ran deep into the forest of Mt. Ebott, a mountain shrouded in mystery and legend. For years people have said that the mountain was haunted, that people who went there never returned. Well, that kind of place is exactly what they could use. They would never give their parents the satisfaction of controlling them ever again. What it took for that goal to be realized… It didn’t matter to them.

They don’t know how long they’ve been running, but they see something that makes them stop. Up ahead… A cave entrance is etched into the cliffside. It compels their feet towards it. As they climb through the gaping maw of rock, they see that, in the floor, there is a massive hole. As they inch closer to the ledge, to look inside carefully, they trip on a root, and they tumble headfirst into the hole.

They faceplant into a small patch of yellow flowers. They lay there for a moment, reflecting on the fact that this could be where they die. But at least the flowers cushioned their fall. A chill ran down their spine as they stood up and looked where they had fallen from. The light, the sky, everything they had ever known, seemed so far away. But that’s just how they wanted it.

They turn their face down. The room is featureless, save for a dark crevasse on the farthest side of the room. A final glance at the world they are leaving behind, and they begin down the crack in the wall. It leads to a doorway.

They step through the door. In the next room, a shaft of sunlight illuminates a small patch of dirt. In it, grows a flower. They look at the flower.

The flower looks back. “Howdy!” it calls, its voice dripping with honey. “I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower! I’m here to welcome you to the underground!”

The revelation of the talking flower is curious to them.  “Good to meet you, Flowey.” The human smiles and kneels down. “I’m Chara!”

“Oh boy! That’s a swell name!” It tilts his head. “You’re new to the underground, aren’tcha?

“Yeah,” Chara says. They stand and avert their eyes for just a moment with recollection.

Flowey straightens on its stem. “Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do!” Flowey dances. “Ready? Here we go!”

Chara instantly looks at their chest. It was tingling, and a red glow was slowly rising out of their chest, from their shoulders to their legs. It was a large heart. It floated out of them, and shrank to about a quarter of its original size in front of them, seeming to become more solid. Chara felt as if an ancient, forgotten power was suddenly being awoken before their eyes. They took a step back. The heart followed them. A new chill goes down their spine.

“See that heart?” Flowey’s grin hasn’t changed at all. “That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!”

Chara says “My… Soul? Okay…” and nods slightly. It is within arm’s reach. They touch it. The feeling of grasping it is ineffable. But, they understand it’s as brittle as it is powerful.

“Your SOUL starts off weak,” Flowey says as he flops over dramatically. But then he puffs out his stem and flexes his leaves as he says, “but you can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.” He puts down his guns.  “What’s LV stand for?” The flower tilts its head. “Why, LOVE, of course!” The flower sits up straight again. “You want some LOVE, don’t you?”

It wasn’t that Chara didn’t want love…

“Don’t worry! I’ll share some with you!” The flower winks.

…But something seemed wrong.

Flowey flourishes his leaves. Five white pellets float into the air, and hover there. Flowey remains cheerful, saying, “Down here, LOVE is shared through…”

Chara realizes Flowey is looking at their soul. That chill again.

“Little white…” The flower creases its brow momentarily. “…’friendliness pellets.’” Its face returns to a smile. “Are you ready?”

Chara takes a step back. Their soul follows.

“Move around!” Flowey says. “Get as many as you can!”

Chara realizes they don’t trust this flower. All those humans that fell down here before… This demon surely played a part in their disappearances. THEY would not be stupid enough to die because they immediately trusted some… thing they met for all of one minute! So they carefully sidestepped its pellets. The flower’s smile changes into something a little more annoyed.

“Hey, buddy. You missed ‘em. Let’s try again, okay?”

More pellets. Again, Chara steps to the side. Flowey’s face alone betrays his annoyance yet again.

“Is this a joke? Are you braindead? Run. Into. The. BULLETS!” The flower looks away.

Chara knows standing in place would surely kill them now. Again, they step to the side. Then, they make a dash for the flower with their knife. Killing it would save anyone who fell here by accident. Maybe if they killed it, they would be seen as a hero. As they ran, their soul stayed in the same relative position to their body.  They could not stop in time when suddenly a single pellet materialized in front of their moving soul. They were immediately brought to their knees as it impacted. They were sure it would shatter with the force of hitting the ground, but it stayed floating in the air. The breath had been knocked out of their lungs, and they fell on the ground gasping for air, but couldn’t find the strength they needed to even breathe.

The flower appears to droop a little. “Y o u   k n o w   w h a t ‘ s   g o i n g   o n   h e r e ,   d o n ‘ t   y o u ?” It looks up. Its face twists into a wicked grin, and its eyes look soulless. “Y o u   j u s t   w a n t e d   t o   s e e   m e   s u f f e r .”

Chara cannot find the energy to lift themselves off the ground.

Flowey’s mouth twitches. Calmly, it says, “Die.” Its grin widened to span its entire face, and it released a hellish laugh.

In an instant, the bullets had completely surrounded their soul, and began closing in. They want so badly to slice the vile weed off its stem, it compels them to try to get up. But they realize that this was ultimately what they wanted. They close their eyes and wait for the sweet release of death.

Suddenly, they can breathe, and they open their eyes and scramble to their feet. The soul is still floating there, but… The bullets have vanished. The flower looks confused. Chara reaches for their knife, but stops when a flame flickers into existence in the darkness and flies towards Flowey. The blast hits it directly in the face, and it burrows underground in a panic.

Out of the darkness steps a woman with a flowing dress, a smoky paw, and horns on an… Animal face? Her robe bears a symbol that is not familiar to the human. Concern is in her eyes as she says, “What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor innocent youth…” She smiles. “Do not be afraid, my child.”

Chara realizes their soul is still out, vulnerable. They didn’t want it there. It floats towards them slowly.

“I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down.”

Chara wants it where it will be safe. The heart floats into their chest. They feel it expand to fill their body.

“You are the first human to come here in a long time.” She waits until the soul is back where it belongs and says, “Come! I will guide you through the catacombs. This way.” And with that, Toriel turned around and walked through a door at the other end of the room.

Chara followed her. Inside, a structure loomed overhead. This must be the Ruins. The shadow of it looms over the courtyard, and they take a moment to compose themselves. That flower was a true demon, and almost killed them. They were grateful this new creature had come to save them, but… They questioned her motives. That they would not survive this encounter… It filled them with DETERMINATION.


	4. Shenanigans and GOLD

It was dark. Frisk slipped out of bed, and put their slippers on, then crept over to their brother’s bed. “Hey, Asriel…”

He stirred slowly, blinking the sleep from his eyes. “Sorry, I fell asleep!” he whispered.

Frisk shook their head. “It’s okay. You ready?”

Asriel swung his feet over the edge of his mattress. “Yeah, just be quiet okay?”

“I promise.” Frisk put their hand over their heart. “Mom and Dad won’t hear a thing.”

“Alright then, let’s go!”

They opened the door to their room very slowly, careful not to make a sound. Together, they tiptoed to the chain stretching across the stairway to the basement. Frisk carefully raised the bottom, and Asriel slipped through underneath. Asriel held the chain from the other side, and Frisk slipped through as well. They walked down the stairs to a long corridor, blocked by a training dummy. Together, they move it so they can fit past.

As they continue, Asriel whispers. “Sometimes, Dad would let me follow him to his throne room, so I know the way. But there’s so many hallways.”

The hallway opened up to a balcony, from which they could look over the entire city of New Home.

“Wow.” Frisk said. “This place looks cool!”

Asriel smiled. “We aren’t even halfway to the throne room, either!”

The two continued on. The door at the end of that hall led into a very regal hallway. Stained glass windows and ornate columns lined the entire length of the hall. Frisk felt like they were in a castle, as this hallway was truly fit for a King.

About halfway through, Asriel says, “I always think this hallway is spooky.”

Frisk nodded. The hallway was dark, but they continued on. The door at the other end led to a smaller hallway with much taller sides.

“Here’s the throne room.” Asriel stepped around the corner and through a massive door, and Frisk followed.

The floor was covered in red tiles, and in the middle of the room, two thrones sat side-by-side. They had purple cushions, and were made out of gold. They were very ornate. Frisk sat down in one, sinking into the cushion a little.

Asriel laughed. “It makes you look so small!” Then he got into the other one. “How do I look?”

Frisk looked over, and he did indeed look far too small for the chair. Frisk laughed, then got serious. “Does this mean we are the new rulers of the Underground?”

Asriel laughed again. “Yes! King Asriel and Frisk will now do all the Royal duties!”

“First order of business, changing the names of our cities to things a little less vague!” Frisk suggests.

“Second order is transferring all the snow from Snowdin to Hotlands!”

“Then we move all the water from Waterfall to the Ruins!”

“Third, we turn the entire underground into a playground!”

“Final order of business is planting flowers anywhere and everywhere!”

Asriel snickers. “We’ll cover all the floors in the entire Underground with flowers, starting with this room!”

“We train the Royal Guard to do nothing but water flowers. We rename them to the Floral Guard.”

The two laugh heartily at the absurd decrees of the tiny monarchs. It takes a while for them to stop, but when they do, it is Asriel who gets up first, saying, “We should probably get back to the house.”

Frisk slides out of the chair like jelly and lays on the floor for a little.

“Come on!” implores Asriel. “Get up!” He holds out his hand.

Frisk takes it and pulls themselves up. But a dark shape catches their eye. They realize it’s another door. Pointing it out to Asriel, they ask, “Where does that door go?”

Asriel looks at it. “That goes to the barrier, the seal that locks us underground.”

“What’s it look like?”

Asriel shakes their head. “I don’t know. Dad never let me go in there.”

Frisk smiles shrewdly. “Can I go see it?”

Asriel looks worried. “Mom and Dad…”

They cut him off. “They aren’t here right now. We could go and see and nobody would know.” They start towards the door.

Asriel hurries up to them. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” But he follows anyways.

There is a small chamber with a path to the right, at the end of which there is a door. Together they step through the door. They stand in awe at the sight before them, an impossibly long hallway that stretches further than either of them can see.

“Wow.”

They are both at a loss for words. Frisk briefly imagines trying to walk down it, and getting lost amongst the ever-shifting walls. It sends a chill up their spine, and they reach for Asriel’s hand.

Asriel speaks first. “So, what would it be like out there, if we managed to get through?”

“The wind would blow through your hair. The sun would warm your face.” Frisk looks down the impossible hallway, a look of longing on their face. “You would be able to see my village, and the countryside around it. And the stars!” Frisk lightens up. “There’s so many of them, you could never count them all! They come out every night, when the sun sets.”

“That sounds nice.” They look at each other.

“Someday, I’ll show you the stars.” Frisk looks back out at the hallway. Then, “Yeah, we should probably head back now.”

Asriel nods. “Yeah, Dad would kill me if he knew we were out here.”

From behind them, a deep voice booms, “Would I, now?”

They spin around, and stare at Asgore. Asriel stammers, “D-Dad! We were just…”

Frisk cuts him off. “I really wanted to see the barrier. This was my idea.”

“Frisk—!”

Asgore holds his hands out. “I’m not mad.” He looks to the side. “Well, I am. You shouldn’t have left the house without asking. That said…” He walks beside them, looking out at the barrier with them. “You needed to see it at some point. It’s not like I could keep you from it forever.” He pauses. “It’s beautiful, is it not?”

Frisk and Asriel nod. The three of them stand there, watching the barrier slowly fade from black to white to black.

Asgore smiles. “Anyways, Mom’s worried sick about you two. Let’s get you back to the house, okay?”

 

* * *

 

 Chara buried their knife up to its hilt in the dummy’s chest, and slashed it out sideways. A massive gash was torn in the dummy, and its top half flopped over backwards, still attached by a sinew of cloth.

Toriel looked taken aback. “Ahh! The dummies are not for fighting! They are for talking!” A worried look came over her face. “We do not want to hurt anybody, do we…?” She walked into the next room, calling over her shoulder, “Come now.” With that, she stepped into the next room.

The more Chara thought about her, the more she reminded them of their mother. Nice when she had a point to prove, but mean when they tried to do something their own way. Chara would not let themselves fall for the same schtick yet again. Annoyed, Chara continued to the next room.

“There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can solve it?” When they got beside her, she led the way into the next chamber.

Before they could get there, a Froggit along the path jumped on top of them. Their soul floated out, and in fear they slashed with their knife. It got the Froggit square on the nose, and it jumped off them. It looked scared, and it looked even more scared when it saw Toriel looming over them, a stern look on her face. When the Froggit slinked away, she turned her gaze on Chara before turning around and leading them to the next room, a floor covered in deadly spikes. But she froze.

“This is the puzzle, but… Here, take my hand for a moment.”

Chara said, “Nah, I can just walk behind you.”

Toriel looked surprised, but said, “Okay then. Be sure to stay close to me.”

Chara stayed close behind her as they crossed the spikes, and the spikes slid down underneath them where they stepped.

At the other side, she told them, “Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now,” before hurrying into the next room, where she said, “You have done excellently thus far, my child. However…” She looked down. “I have a difficult request to ask of you… I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself.” She turned, saying over her shoulder, “Forgive me for this,” before she hurried forward.

Chara began walking slowly. They were grateful for the breathing space. It gave them time to think. The more they thought about this woman, the more certain they became that she was she was putting way too much effort into proving some point. If they didn’t already know how to be alone, the walk would have frightened them.

Their suspicions were confirmed when, at the end of the hallway, Toriel burst out from behind a pillar and told them that the walk was just a ploy, designed to ‘test their independence’ while she ‘attended to some business.’ She finished off by saying, “Please remain here. It’s dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea.” She pulled something from a pocket. “I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call.” Then she walked from the room, calling “Be good, alright?”

Chara peeked around the corner, waiting for Toriel to disappear from the next room. When the coast was clear, they stepped out of the previous room...

And their phone rang. They picked it up, and they heard her through the cell phone. “Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?”

“Nope.” Chara spied a bowl of candy through a doorway.

“There are a few puzzles that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them yourself.” When she didn’t get a reply, she said, “Be good, alright?”

“Yeah, sure thing, MOM.” Chara couldn’t hide the edge in their voice, as they stuffed as much candy in their pockets as they could.

Unfortunately, the woman took it as a compliment. “Well, I suppose… Would that make you happy? To call me, ‘Mother’?”

Distracted, Chara knocked over the bowl, spilling all the candy onto the floor. “Aww, you’re kidding me, right?”

Toriel seemed flustered, but continued, “Well, then… Call me whatever you like!” Then the call ended.

They turned out of the candy room, and ran smack into some flying monster, sending their heart jumping out of their chest. The monster seemed scared, so Chara took the opportunity to frighten it even more. They put their hands up and wiggled their fingers, making a horrific noise. The creature responded by summoning a flock of butterflies that flew around their soul. Chara was just in arm’s reach, so they slashed with the knife, careful not to move their soul into the monster’s pitiful attack.

Only the tip of it grazed the creature, but it still shrieked and fell to the ground, where it instantly turned into a pile of ashes. Chara was surprised. They did not expect it to be so easy. As they stepped over its remains, they spied some flecks of gold in the ashes. They were gold coins, so they picked up the four pieces from the ashes, getting some of the dust on their fingers in the process.

As they gazed at the dust, something tiny in their brain cried out in sadness. They hadn’t intended to kill it, just to maim it to the point where it left them alone. But then their anger swelled. It wouldn’t be dead if it hadn’t attacked them. Besides, that flower had proven to them that creatures here weren’t all what they first appeared to be.

Their heart floated back to them, and they turned towards the next room. A froggit that had seen the whole encounter hurried away as Chara laid their gaze on them. The monsters were starting to take them seriously. The feeling that they might actually be getting through to these monsters fills them with DETERMINATION.


	5. Hope and Death

Asgore straightened his son’s cape, then stepped back and smiled at his handiwork. “You look like a true prince, Asriel.”

Asriel was striking dramatic poses, looking at himself in the mirror. “I look so… Regal! I want to wear it all the time like you, Dad!”

His father laughed. “You aren’t ready for the burden.”

Asriel turned to him and pouted. “But it’s not that heavy! Besides, YOU get to wear it all the time. Why can’t I?”

The King knelt down and put his hand on Asriel’s shoulder. “It carries more weight than just what you can feel on your shoulders. It carries the weight of all the hopes and dreams in the Underground. I have to wear it because I never know when one of my subjects will need my help. If they caught me in my pajamas, then they wouldn’t think I was a very good King. Besides...” He got up, and ruffled the hair on top of his son’s head. “You aren't King yet. How about you go see if Mom and Frisk are ready to go?

Instantly, Asriel was running out of his room, shouting, “Mom! Frisk!”

 

* * *

 

At last, Chara had made it past the crumbling floor. It had taken a while before they figured out some spots were more sturdy than others. They were grateful a soft layer of leaves had coated the ground wherever they fell. Now, they stood in another room with a simple rock puzzle.

As soon as they stepped into the room, a nearby froggit hopped over to them.

They felt their heart float out of their chest. Cockily, they pulled their knife and said, “Give me your money, or I’ll kill you.”

The froggit didn’t understand what they said, but handed over its gold anyways.

“Thank you very much.” They put their knife away.

Suddenly, flies appeared around Chara and began dive-bombing their soul. They ran, and their soul stuck by them, but the flies gave chase. One by one, the flies landed on the soul, each making a sound as if someone was striking a drum. Chara felt their strength fade with every strike, the sound of the drum resonating inside their own chest, bringing their feet to a halt. Soon, the flies had all disappeared, and Chara was barely standing.

They looked at the froggit. “Wow, you’re pretty strong.”

Froggit didn’t understand what they said, but was flattered anyways. Then, it looked at the soul, and hurled itself directly into it. Their soul made the drum beat again, and then a splintering noise.

It was too much. They gasped, eyes widening. They felt something tear inside them, and they fell to their knees. A darkness began creeping into their vision, and with the last of their strength, they gazed at their soul, hovering beside a confused froggit. Their strength faded further, and they watched helplessly as the world, and themselves, seemed to shatter into oblivion and eternal silence.

 

* * *

 

Toriel smiled at them through the mirror. “You look so cute in that suit! I could just pinch your cheek!”

Frisk tugged at their collar. “Do I have to wear this?”

She looked surprised. “Of course! As the Royal Family we have to look our absolute best for our people!”

“Mom! Frisk!” Asriel called from the hallway. Toriel and Frisk turned to the door of the room, and he burst in, massive smile on his face and a cape billowing behind him as he ran over to the two of them. “Look at my cape!”

She smiled. “You look like a true prince, Asriel!”

He beamed, then turned to Frisk. “Are you ready to go?”

They nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Toriel smiled. “Let’s go get your father, then,” she said, leading them out of the room by their hands. Asgore was standing in the foyer, and together they made their way to the hallway downstairs.

Even from the bottom of the stairs, Frisk could hear the voices of hundreds of people, getting louder, as they continued down the corridor. The four of them stepped out onto the balcony, and Frisk peeked over the edge. They saw a sea of monster faces, all looking up at them expectantly. Frisk ducked their head back out of sight, while the others continued on, heads held high. Upon seeing them, they all began to cheer, and the Royal Family walked into the middle of the balcony. When they reached it, Asgore stepped forward and put up his hands to silence them.

“My fellow monsters! I have called you all here to make an announcement!” He put his hand down when the crowd had died down. “It has been many, many years since a monster has laid eyes on a human. Many monsters have turned to dust with the belief that neither they nor their children would ever see another for the rest of time. But I am here to tell you that, last week, a human child fell into the underground!”

He beckoned Frisk forward, and they stood next to Asriel, gazing down at the crowd again. The audience began to murmur. Someone cried. Nobody seemed pleased with this development.

“There is nothing to fear!” Asgore boomed. “Asriel, your Prince, found them and brought them to our house. We nursed them back to health, and since then we have been looking after them as if they were one of our own, and teaching them the values of monsterkind!”

But the crowd seethed, and someone shouted “They can’t be trusted!” Another shouted “They can’t feel love!” Another said, “They’ll betray you.” Everyone began talking at once, and magic began to fill the room. Frisk felt their soul tugging at their chest. They slipped their hand into Asriel’s, and felt his hand close around theirs.

Asgore put up his hand. “My fellow monsters, there is nothing to fear! They—“

But the crowd did not silence. Frisk saw the glow from beneath their sweater, and their soul materialized in front of them. Frisk held Asriel’s hand tighter, and moved their soul close to their chest.

Toriel stepped forward, face stern. “Please, my friends. The human harbors no ill will, so you should not hold any against them!”

But the crowd still grew more unrestful. Toriel and Asgore looked at each other, uncertainty clouding their eyes. Asriel’s face twisted, first into sadness, then into anger. He stepped forward.

“Why are you so afraid? You haven’t even met them yet! You haven’t even TRIED to get to know them. Well, I have!” He began to cry. “They’re nice, and thoughtful, and wouldn’t do anything to hurt anybody!” He held their hand tighter. “They are my friend, and my sibling. And I know you’re scared, but they were scared too when they first came here. You know what they did, when they were unsure if we might hurt them? They trusted us, without any questions. They trusted that we wouldn’t hurt them. Can’t you trust that they won’t hurt you, either?”

The crowd had grown quiet, and the magic had subsided.

Frisk stepped forward, cautiously. “I don’t want to fight.” They let their soul float as far as it could. It stopped halfway down towards the crowd, and close to the middle, where everybody was looking at the glowing red heart in above them. “You don’t need to fight anymore.”

Frisk’s soul floated back into their chest, and they felt it expand to fill them. They breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was safe, and the crowd was calmed.

Asgore seizes the opportunity to drive it home, and booms, arms outstretched, “This is a new era for both humans and monsters!”

And just like that, the crowd was on their feet, this time clapping and cheering. Toriel breathed out slowly as Asgore lowered his hands, a look of relief washing over his face. A tear came to Frisk’s eye, and they took a step back. Asriel turned and hugged them.

 

* * *

 

 They woke up in a pile of leaves. They had… Fallen asleep there? They creased their brow, as they realized they hadn’t been tired since they’d fallen down. Then, the memory hits them. They had died, hadn’t they? They were sure of it, a damn magic frog had killed them while they were mugging it. They stand up, brushing the dried leaves off their sweater. They checked their pockets, smiling a little as they discovered they still had the candies.

They looked at the surroundings. It was the room immediately after where Toriel had left them. If they had the candies, then they had just gotten off the phone with her. They walked into the next room, fell through the floor onto the leaves, as they remembered doing. Climbing up, they thought about why what was coming next. Toriel had called and asked them a bunch of stuff about what they liked.

Sure enough, in the next room, their phone rang. “Hello? This is Toriel. For no reason in particular... Which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?”

Chara was about to flippantly say “neither,” but Toriel interrupted their thoughts.

“Wait! Do not tell me. Is it Cinnamon?”

Chara froze. That’s what they had chosen in their memory. “Yes,” they replied warily.

Toriel sounded cheery on the other end of the line. “Hee hee hee. I had a feeling. When humans fall down here, strangely, I… I often feel like I already know them. Truthfully, when I first saw you, I felt like I was seeing an old friend for the first time. Strange is it not?”

Chara gripped the phone tighter.

“Well, thank you for your selection.” And she hung up.

Chara knew they must have really died, and come back. And somehow, this woman knew it too.  Then that meant she'd call back...

The phone rang. Chara had not moved the phone from their ear.

“Hello!  this is Toriel. You do not DISLIKE butterscotch, do you?”

Chara remained silent.

“I know what your preference is, but would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?”

“Butterscotch is okay.”

“Right, right, I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way.” And she hung up.

Chara put their phone in their pocket and pushed the rock in the room onto its button. They remembered more, memories of the moments before their death. They had not been quick enough to flee that attack before the frog had attacked their soul directly, and then… Chara strained. They could not remember their final moments, but they could feel a slight pain just trying to think about it.

The fact that they were still alive somehow, when by all rights they shouldn’t be… It filled them with DETERMINATION.


	6. Movement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Napstablook.

Chara was standing in the room where they just died. They had avoided the other monsters in their path, but one froggit had still gotten close enough to bring their soul out. Luckily, when they ran away, their soul returned to their chest, and the froggit did not give chase.

The room had three rocks and three buttons, and the bridge to the exit was covered in spikes. They pushed two of the rocks onto their respective buttons. But when they put their hands on the last rock, it shouted at them. “WHOA, there, pardner! Who said you can push me around?”

They put their hands on their hips. “Seriously? All I need you to do is go that way.” Chara pointed toward the button.

“HMM? So you’re ASKIN’ me to move over?” Smugly it added, “Okay. Just for you, pumpkin.” It moved towards the button, but only by two feet.

They forced a smile. “That’s not quite far enough.”

“HMM? You want me to move some more? Alrighty, how’s this?” The rock moved two feet off the path.

“Seriously? You have like one purpose in life, and it’s over there.” Chara’s smile faded.

“HMM? That was the wrong direction?” The rock somehow got smugger. “Okay, think I got it.” It moved back onto the path and all the way to the button, pushing it down. The spikes blocking the exit of the room retracted.

They glared as they passed it, walking out of the room. Before they reached the bridge, however, the spikes slid up without warning, and Chara stopped in surprise. They turned around slowly. Sure enough, the rock had moved again. They marched over to it and raised their voice. “What was that!? I didn’t have enough time to get across!”

“HMM? You wanted me to STAY there?” Its smug levels were of the charts. “You’re giving me a real workout.” It moved onto the button, adding, “Aren’t things easier when you just ask?”

Chara walked out of the room. That was much less pleasant than they were expecting, and they weren’t expecting much.

The next room contained nothing but a table with a piece of cheese stuck to it, hard as a rock. They looked around, but they concluded there was nothing else in the room. About to leave, they noticed there was also a mousehole in the wall. Knowing that they could catch the mouse as it came out of the hole to get the cheese filled them with DETERMINATION. But they weren’t patient enough, so they chose to proceed into the next room.

A white shape was laying on a pile of leaves, directly in their path. It was saying the letter ‘z’ out loud, repeatedly, pretending to sleep. It muttered, “Are they gone yet?” before resuming to say ‘z’ repeatedly.

Cautiously, Chara approached them, and put their hands out. Maybe they could just move it? They gave it a shove.

Their heart exploded out of their chest as the ghost was suddenly standing before them. It startled them, and they slashed with their knife.

The ghost didn’t move. Instead, it just looked down at itself, then at them, sadly saying, “I’m fine, thanks for asking,” before he began to cry. It was as if a lawn sprinkler had been turned on, coming straight from his eyes. The tears flew everywhere, splashing against their soul with a dull thud. They jumped back, but there were far too many tears to dodge, and their sweater was soaked.

Chara’s breath slowed, and they wished they were more used to the feeling of dying. They slashed out again.

“Nnnngh…” The ghost sighed and stared blankly at the wall. “I wish I wasn’t here”.

Chara frowned. “Why don’t you move then?”

Then the ghost cried more, and the tears were almost too much.

Chara fell to their knees, and they shouted, “I don’t want to fight you! Just let me pass!”

“I’m sorry,” the ghost blubbered, as its tears splashed on the ground. Then it bawled again.

Chara looked at their soul, angry they were unable to move themselves. Beaten to an inch of their life yet again, they wanted nothing more than to get away. They pleaded with everything they had to get away, and watched their soul as a tear fell right for it. Wishing so hard that they could run, even though they, themselves, could not… They wished their soul would not just float there, that it would move away somehow, to spare them from the pain they couldn’t remember, but feared nonetheless.

And their heart moved to the side. The tear fell harmlessly past it, but the soul ran smack into the side of another one.

Chara fell in agony and died.

 

* * *

 

“Howdy, Frisk! Smile for the camera!”

A soundless moment passes.

“Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on… ON PURPOSE!” His smile widens. “Now you’re making that silly face for noooo reason! Hee hee hee!”

Frisk laughs, but soon grows silent. “…Asriel?” they said at last.

“What?”

“Do you remember when we made that rope?”

“Oh, yeah, I remember. We managed to braid together all the shirts we found at the dump in Waterfall. We threw it up to the hole where you fell. You climbed halfway up, but then got spooked and came back down.” He smiled. “Did you want to try again?”

A pause. “Umm… It’s still on.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ll turn the camera off.”

 

* * *

 

Chara opened their eyes. They were laying next to the table with the cheese on it. They didn’t remember falling asleep. They had just napped earlier! Why were they… Then they remembered the ghost. “Oh.” Chara stood up. They had died, yet again. They recalled the stories, how those who climbed the mountain never returned. They were beginning to understand what might have happened to them. This was a hellish world. But… Why were they still alive? They recalled Toriel’s phone call, how she admitted to knowing kids who had fallen down as if she had always known them. She had admitted that only after they themselves had died. Did that mean the others had the same curse? And if they couldn’t die, like them… Why did they never return?

They returned their thoughts to the matter at hand. That stupid ghost had killed them! He was so caught up in his own sadness that he couldn’t see how much pain they were in. Chara smiled. They would never be caught crying so openly. But, they didn’t want to die again. If being nice to him would help them get past him safely, they would do it. They could remember that it was painful, but the exact feeling of dying existed at the edge of their perception, just out of reach.

But they remembered something else. They remembered their soul had moved. With the last of their strength, they had willed it out of the path of damage. It had not lasted, as they were already so close to death, but they knew they saw it happen for a brief moment.

In the next room, the ghost was pretending to sleep, as it had been last time. They kneeled down next to it, and said, “Hi! I’m Chara!” They forced a patient smile and asked, “What’s your name?”

The ghost kept saying ‘z’ repeatedly.

Chara’s smile faded. “Hey, I could really use your help with something.”

The ghost kept saying ‘z’ repeatedly.

They lightly tapped him.

He was standing, and their soul came out from under their sweater. They stumbled backwards in alarm.

The ghost stared blankly at the ground, “Oh, I guess you know I’m awake now…” He stared blankly at them. “Chara, huh? That’s a nice name.” He stared blankly nowhere in particular. “My name’s Napstablook.” He stared blankly. “You don’t want my help… I’m not very good at helping…”

They gulped before saying awkwardly, “I just need you to wait for a moment, while I get acquainted with my soul.”

Napstablook stared at them curiously. “Like… A time-out?”

Chara shrugged. “Yeah, I guess? Just for a moment.”

Napstablook nodded, staring blankly at the ground. “Okay, I think… I can do that……”

They gazed into their soul. They had only ever seen it move with them, but they had never actually tried to move it on its own. They focused, and willed it to their left. They clapped in glee as their soul moved to their left, immediately straightening their posture as they realized that they had actually done that and not just thought it. They willed it to the right, up, down, and forward and back, smiling as they began to understand how it worked. “Thank you very much for your patience,” they said, stepping back. “That was actually really helpful to me.”

Napstablook looked up at them, eyes watering slightly. “Heh. You’re too nice… I didn’t do anything…” The tears sprayed out again.

With their new knowledge in hand, they managed to keep it safe from tears this time. …Mostly. They still got hit, and each time it felt like someone hit them hard in the chest. But they found it easier to control the movement of their soul by itself than trying to move their whole body with it.

Shortly, the ghost stopped crying, and stared at the ground for a while.

Chara thought of a small joke. “Hey Napstablook? Why did the ghost cross the road?”

“…Because it was as good as anywhere else?” He stared at the wall expectantly.

They shook their head. “To get to the other side.”

“Heh heh…” He even managed a faint smile.

Faint letters appeared in front of Chara’s soul. They read, ‘REALLY NOT FEELIN UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY.’

Chara smiled. “Is there any way I can make you feel better?” Anything to get him to move.

“Maybe I could show you something… Let me try…” He stared into the distance, and his eyes welled up as tears began streaming up his face. “I call it ‘dapper blook.’” He stopped crying, staring at them eagerly. The tears that had pooled on his head had formed a hat.

For some reason, that made them really happy, and they laughed. “That hat suits you surprisingly well!” They smiled genuinely.

Napstablook stared at the ground. “Oh gee…”

They felt their soul float towards them, and watched it disappear under their shirt.

“I usually come to the Ruins because there’s nobody around…” He stared off into the distance. “But, today, I met somebody nice…” He looked at the wall for a moment, then back at the floor. “Oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way…”

And just like that, he faded away. Chara was almost sad to see him go, but they continued on anyways. That they had made it past that pesky ghost without getting killed again relieved them. That they could use their new skill to survive easier… That filled them with DETERMINATION.


	7. Accident Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara takes a nap

Chara stood in a room full of buttons and pillars. It was an easy puzzle, since the solution was literally right on the wall in each room. They flipped the red switch, and the spikes retracted. They began walking to the door, but…

“Oof!” They fell on the ground, catching a whiff of lime gelatin. They stood and turned to see what they had tripped on, and their soul floated slowly from beneath their shirt. In front of them was a row of three green, gelatinous monsters. They looked to see if there was money floating inside their translucent bodies. They couldn’t see any.

Together, the jellies attacked, but each managed to hit Chara’s soul just once.

They had fought a few monsters on their way here, practicing their new skill. They were only beginning to grasp the concept of analyzing the monsters’ attacks and moving their soul to avoid damaging it, but the notion that they could move their soul at all was second nature now. Still, their breath caught in their throat a little with every slip-up. It was hard work, and each hit left them more exhausted.

These blobs were useless to them, so they turned and continued into the next room. They pushed the green switch, in accordance with the sign, and continued into a hallway. To their left, they could see a dead tree standing imposingly in a courtyard. They continued to the next room, where a froggit was just sitting around. They stepped around it to the door.

What they saw took their breath away. They stepped up to the lip of the staircase. “Wow…” they whispered, looking down at the scenic city. Every now and then, through the buildings, they saw a monster walking down a street. It looked like it used to be more busy years ago, and many of the buildings seemed to be crumbling slightly.

They glanced to their left, and spied a knife on the ground. It was bigger than theirs, so they walked over to pick it up. But it had a lot less heft than their knife, and Chara grimaced as soon as they realized it was plastic. They tossed it down the staircase weakly, watching as it clattered to the ground before turning to leave.

They continued walking until they were standing in front of the dead tree surrounded by leaves. They heard footsteps approach from behind the tree, and a voice.

“Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would.” Toriel stepped from behind the tree and called them, but noticed as the phone began to ring that they were already there in front of her. She quickly approached them, putting away her phone and saying, “How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?”

Chara looked away and breathed out heavily. They realized how awful they must look, and tried to stand up straight.

“There, there, I will heal you.” She took their hand, her healing touch flowing through them and energizing them. She led them behind her, saying, “I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this.” A startled look flashed on her face. “Err, well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer.”

They approached a cottage made of purple stone, nestled perfectly into the courtyard. She reminded them of the mother they used to think they had when they were a child, before they learned better.

When they stepped through the door, the smell of something sweet assaulted their nose.

“Do you smell that? It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie!” She smiled warmly. “I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here, so I will hold off on snail pie for tonight.” She took their hand and led them down a hallway to their right. “Here, I have another surprise for you.” She stopped next to a door in the hallway. “This is it. A room of your own! I hope you like it.”

Toriel rested her hand on their head, and they reflexively shied away as she pat it softly, glaring at her from under their bangs.

She looked away. “Is something burning…? Um, make yourself at home!” She hurried off.

Chara stood in the hallway. A room of their own? They opened the door and stepped inside cautiously. There was a bed, and shoes in a variety of sizes. A toy chest with toys invited them briefly, but there was something else they realized they wanted to do first.

The bed looked inviting. They could use a nap after all this horrible business with the dying and all. And even though she had healed them, they were still weary. Maybe they would wake up from this nightmare? They climbed in and pulled the sheets over them.

The memory of coming so close to death, on two separate occasions, scared them. They could not remember the moment of death, but they also somehow knew they didn’t they want to. Truly, they should have died. Why did they have to come back? Were they already dead? Was this some sort of punishment? They scowled. Punishment for what? Surely they had already been punished by being born. And besides, running away was their only other option. They chuckled as their eyes drifted closed. What if it was destiny that they would find this place? Were they chosen for something important?

Chara grinned as they drifted into sleep. They had never been important before.

 

* * *

 

Laughter echoed down the hall of New Home. “Gotta catch me first!”

Asriel ran after Frisk, chasing them out the door into the garden. “MOM! DAD!” he called.

“Nobody’s coming to help you!” Frisk shouted, doubling back on him. He reached for the cape as they passed, but they pulled it just out of his reach. In a sing-song voice, they called, “Mom’s at the store and Dad’s in Snowdin! We’re all alone!” They ran into the house, running down the stairs in the hallway.

Asriel ran down after them, slowing when he reached the bottom. He smiled, seeing Frisk trying to move the dummy in the path, but unable to. “Looks like you’re trapped.”

Frisk turned around, and watched Asriel approach. “I’ll never give it back!” They shouted playfully.

Asriel stood in front of them. The light from the staircase cast his shadow over them. “If Dad finds out we were in his room snooping through his stuff, he’ll get mad. Give it back now, and spare yourself the consequences!” He struck an action pose.

Frisk felt weird. “Asriel, wait…”

“If you’re not gonna give it to me, I’m just gonna have to take it back!”

They felt a glow beneath their chest, and backed up into the dummy. “Asriel, stop!”

“Then give it back!” He stomped his foot. A star materialized and flew towards Frisk.

Their soul floated out of their sweater, and they screamed. “Asriel, be careful!”

Asriel realized what they had done, but it was too late to take it back.

Frisk braced, and they heard the sound of cloth tearing. The dummy fell over behind them, and their soul floated back into their chest. Asriel was by their side in an instant. “Frisk! Are you okay?”

“Owww…”

The siblings looked at each other.

“That hurt, guys. Why did you have to play so rough around me?”

They both looked at the dummy.

It was standing, and had a tear in the fabric on its torso. It peered down at itself with eyes that were no longer merely buttons, then looked back up at them. “I was just minding my own business when you two came up and hurt me.” It’s eyes bugged out, and it raised its eyebrows. “Are you trying to kill me!?”

Frisk put their hands up. “No, not at all!”

Asriel stepped back. “Sorry, this is all my fault!”

They turned to their brother, and back to the dummy. “It was an accident. We didn’t mean to hurt you.”

The dummy didn’t look convinced. “The King just wanted me to sit down here and warn for passerby, and I said yes because nobody really comes down here and I can be by myself and still give service to my King… But I didn’t know I’d get hurt because of it!”

A shadow was cast over the hallway. “Children?”

The dummy cried out, “Help! I’ve been hurt!”

Toriel hurried down the stairs. “Oh my! What happened!” She slowed and said, “Children? What are you doing down here?”

Asriel ran to her, and grabbed her mu-mu. “It was an accident!”

The dummy looked at her. “They were playing a bit rough, and your son struck me with a bolt of magic!”

Frisk stepped forward. “I took his cape from Dad’s room… He just wanted it back…” They unclasped the cape from behind their head. “A lot…”

Toriel’s face was stern, but her voice was soft. “Alright, you two get upstairs.” She looked at the dummy. “Would you like to come upstairs and sit by the fire while I stitch up your dummy?”

The dummy looked away. “Sure, I guess…”

“Well, come on then.” Toriel followed the dummy upstairs and directed it to the living room.

 

* * *

 

Chara woke up. The room was dark, and they blinked the sleep from their eyes as they sat up and looked around. They spotted a plate on the floor, and they swung their legs off the bed. It had a slice of pie on it. They reached down and picked it up. It was still warm, and they realized they were hungry, so they took a bite. It was delicious! They took another, and another. The pie was soon gone. But now they needed something else.

They grabbed their plate and walked through the main hall to discover Toriel reading a book in a massive chair a few rooms over. When they walked in, she looked up from her book at them. “Up already, I see?” She spied the dish in their hand. “Ah, yes, I’ll get that for you.” She stood up and took their dish into the kitchen.

“Umm, can I ask you something?” Chara said, before she had gone too far.

Toriel turned back to them. “Of course, my child! What is it?”

Chara fidgeted their foot. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Toriel’s face showed surprise. “Of course!” She smiled. “It’s right down the hall where the bedrooms are, to the right.”

Chara smiled, hastily saying, “Thank you,” before rushing back through the hall.


	8. The Caretaker of the Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The door to Snowdin opens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shout-out to Applebees for letting me use their wi-fi to update a bad fanfiction while my internet is on the fritz.

 

Toriel smiled at them from her chair as they walked back into the living room. “Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. And!” She smiled and said, “I’ve also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to be a teacher!”

Chara stopped next to her chair and looked at her silently. This woman was clearly serious about wanting to be their mother. But it had not slipped their mind that she had spoken of others, who were not here.

She looked away. “…Actually, perhaps that isn’t very surprising. STILL.” She looked back at them, and said, “I am glad to have you living here.”

Surely they weren’t destined to live with this woman for the rest of their unending life? “You mentioned other children, but I’m the only one here.”

Toriel’s smile faded instantly. “Um… Yes…”

They looked her in the eyes. “Where are they now?”

Toriel looked down at her book. “Um… Would you like to hear about this book I’m reading?” She leaned forward slightly in her chair, smiling again. “It’s called ’72 Uses for Snails.’ How about it?” She waited eagerly for a response.

They smiled patiently. “You’re stalling.”

“Um…” She looked away, then back. “How about an exciting snail fact?” She flipped to a random page in her book and put her finger on an entry, adjusting her glasses. “Did you know that snails have eyes and a nose, but they don’t have any ears?” She looked at them over the top of the book. “Interesting.”

Chara glared at her. “I really have to get back home.”

Toriel was visibly shaken. “I… I have to do something. Stay here, my child.”

Chara stepped out of her way as she stood and hurried to the front hall, then followed her immediately as she went down the stairs in the main hallway. “You’re hiding something from me.” They both walked briskly down the hall.

She spoke over her shoulder at them. “You wish to know what happened to the others, do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS, a one-way exit to the rest of the underground.” She sighed. “Every human that fell down here has suffered the same fate. I have seen it again and again… They step out that door, and they die. So I am going to destroy it.” Her steps slowed further.

“What!? I need to go!”

“You naïve child. If you leave the ruins… They… ASGORE… Will not hesitate to kill you. I am protecting you, do you understand?”

They followed close behind her. “And if I can take care of myself?”

She stopped momentarily at a bend in the hall. “Please, go upstairs.” She turned to look at them, face stern, saying, “It’s not safe out there for children,” before hurrying around the corner.

Chara rounded the corner, stopping in the center of the room. Toriel stood between them and the door. “I’m not stopping until I’m on the other side of that door,” they said to her back.

“You want to leave so badly? Hmph.” She looked at them over her shoulder. “You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself…” She turned around and looked them in the eye. “Prove to ME you are strong enough to survive.”

They felt their soul rise from beneath their sweater. Chara scoffed. This woman was worse than their own, actual mother.

She flicked her wrists, and the ground was suddenly covered in fire. They raised their soul to avoid it being licked by flames as the air in the room warmed gradually. Toriel whooshed one hand up, sending columns of fire rising from the floor and sweeping across the room. Their best efforts were not enough to keep it out of danger, and they felt a burning in their chest as flames engulfed their soul.

Their stance widened. “Let me leave.”

“I’m doing what is best for you, child.” She waved a hand, sending a stream of fire across the room, then another. They moved their soul out of the plane of the attacks, and stepped forward.

“I have a destiny, and it isn’t here!” Her attacks were giving them severe heartburn, and the room was uncomfortably warm.

She lifted one arm, then the other. A wave of fire rose from the floor to the ceiling on one side of the room. Another rose on the other side, and another on the other. They aimed their soul for the gaps, but the flames still licked at their soul as they passed, and Chara gasped for breath on shaky legs.

“I’m not your child!” They pulled out their knife, and their throat tightened as they cried out, “I’m sick of people claiming to know what’s best for me!”

She stared through them, bringing her arms down. The fire on the ground rippled and danced wildly, climbing up the walls. She brought both hands up, sending walls of fire climbing and swaying around the room. Their soul was not nimble enough, and they fell to their knees, grasping their burning chest.

“Just let me pass!” They struggled back to their feet, shouting, “You really want me to show you I am strong enough to survive!?” The grip on their knife tightened.

“Please, my child, just go back upstairs.” She looked away, as pillars of fire rushed up to engulf their soul. The room was sweltering, but they didn’t care anymore.

Their anger at this woman seethed. “Just move!” they yelled as they lunged forward, slicing at her arm.

She flinched and knocked them back with a hand cloaked in fire. Flames danced around the room dangerously without hitting their soul, and still she stood in their path.

“What will it take for you to give up!?” They stood and dashed clumsily towards her again, giving her a gash on her other arm. “You’re just like my mother!” They sliced her chest as her face twisted in surprise. “If you want what’s best for me…” They slashed at her again, her robes tattering as she fell to her knees in front of them. “…then LET ME THROUGH!” They raised their knife above their head, but stopped. Was she surrendering?

“Urgh…” The woman quivered as she clutched her chest. “You… You are much stronger than I thought…” Her words caught in her throat. “Listen to me, small one… If you go beyond this door, keep walking, as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach an exit.” The look of pain on her face intensified. “Asgore…” Her breath hitched in her throat, and she continued shakily. “Do not let Asgore take your soul. His plan cannot be allowed to succeed.”

Chara watched in surprise as her strength faded. They hadn’t given her a single lethal injury! Was she seriously that fragile?

She looked up at them, eyes sparkling at them through a face twisted in pain. “Be good, won’t you?” She closed her eyes, and her face softened. “My child…” Her body dissolved into ashes and spilled onto the floor with her robe, leaving a white, upside-down heart floating where she had once stood. It shook for a few seconds before splitting in half and shattering, sending glittering shards dancing across the room.

They stared dully at her ashes as their soul returned to its place in their chest. She was dead, and they had killed her. A part of them felt really sad, and their knife clattered to the floor. But the rest of them was angry, and they shouted into the empty room, “If you weren’t in my way, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt!” Their voice echoed in the corridor behind them, and they recalled their parents. “A good mother doesn’t hold their children back! A good mother doesn’t ‘test’ their child to see how strong they are! A good mother doesn’t let their expectations prevent them from doing what is right for their child!” They smiled, and their voice dropped in tone. “If you wanted to be a good mother, you’d have let me pass.” Their smile became wicked. “If you wanted to be a good mother, you wouldn’t be dead!”

Their grin faded as the room slowly cooled. Weak from their fight, they picked up their knife from where they had dropped it. A gust of wind whirled around the room as they pushed open the doors, scattering some of the ash on top of the pile.

They steadied themselves on the wall as they shuffled down the corridor. Light seemed to be spilling through the doorway at the end of the hall. As they got closer, they saw a shaft of sunlight illuminating a small patch of grass, as well as something else that made them stop at the doorway. A golden flower wearing a happy smile. They leaned wearily against the doorframe as it began to giggle.

It put on a smug smile. “I hope you like your choice, ‘Chara.’ After all, it’s not like you can go back and change fate.”

They shuddered weakly.

“In this world, it’s kill or be killed. That old hag thought she could break the rules.” It looked away. “She thought you humans were still worth saving.” It looked back. “But when it came down to it…” The flower twisted its face into a sinister smile. “She couldn’t even save herself. What an IDIOT!” It disappeared beneath the ground with a maniacal laugh.

Chara considered what the flower had said. If fate intended for them to kill that woman, then so be it. They smiled. Someday, they would make it home, and they would have to be ready when they did. Still, a part of them felt very sad that she was dead. They obviously had a long way to go.

Chara leaned off the doorframe and continued shakily to the massive door on the far side of the room. They pushed against it with what little strength they had left, and carefully stepped out into… Bitter cold and snow? The door latched behind them. They shivered, their breath coming out in small puffs of steam. They wished they had gone back to the warm bed to rest a little more before coming out here. A snowy, tree lined path extended before them, and they tentatively took a step forward, snow crunching beneath their shoes. The uncertainty of what lay ahead, and that they were one step closer to realizing their destiny… It gave them strength, and filled them with DETERMINATION.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional notes: My internet appears to be disabled for an as yet unknown period of time, so updates might be a little delayed. I do not know when internet will return, so I will upload multiple chapters when it is restored if it takes that long. So, sorry in advance.


	9. The Cowardly Dummy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk is so kind, aren't they?

“Psst.” Frisk poked their head down the top of the staircase, calling again, “Psst!” Hearing nothing, they climbed down the stairs carefully, stopping briefly when they saw not one, but two dummies. They walked towards the two dummies in the middle of the hall. “Um, which one of you is the dummy with the ghost inside?”

The one on the right opened its eyes and scowled. “We both are.”

“Which one of you usually sits down here?”

It glared at them. “Why do you need to know? Did you come down here to make them feel even worse than they already do?”

Frisk shook their head. “Not at all! I wanted to apologize. We shouldn’t have been playing so rough near it.”

“You nearly spooked my cousin right out of their dummy with your stunt earlier today! We ghosts spend so long trying to find a body we’re pleased with!” It rose off the ground slightly. “You’re lucky I came along to check on them when I did. When I found them, they were a nervous wreck.”

They frowned. “I didn’t even know that it was alive until it yelled at us. Neither of us meant to make it fear for its life!”

“We’re incorporeal, idiot. Nothing can kill us.” It got madder. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you anyways!”

Frisk tilted their head. “If you can’t die, then why were they so upset?”

“Because it still hurt! When a ghost is inhabiting an object, magic is painful. But we stick it out for the hope that someday we can fuse to our bodies and be a part of normal society, and receive bullet-pattern birthday cards, and everything else normal monsters do with their magic.” It glared into their eyes. “You’re lucky you didn’t scare them out of their dummy completely, otherwise I’d be WAY more mad at you. As it is, all they want is a happy, uneventful life where they aren’t afraid of anything.”

They looked at the other dummy. “I’m really sorry about what happened earlier today. It won’t happen again.”

The mad dummy shook. “Hey! You’ve caused enough trouble! Just go back upstairs and leave my cousin alone! He doesn’t want to talk to someone like you!”

The other dummy opened its eyes and looked at the mad dummy. “Please, don’t get so angry over me.”

Mad dummy sputtered and settled back to the ground. “Sure, whatever.” He glared at Frisk. “Just go back to bed, kid.”

They crossed their arms and pouted. “I’m not tired right now. I just came down here to see if they wanted to be friends.”

Both dummies looked up at them.

“Friends? Friends!? FRIENDS!?” Mad dummy roared. “HA!”

The other tentatively asked, “Do you mean it?”

Frisk grinned. “Yup!”

Mad dummy turned and glared at its cousin. “What? You don’t want to be friends with this jerk!”

“Actually, I’d like to be your friend too, now that you’re here.”

The dummy shifted its gaze back to Frisk. “What!? I don’t want to be your friend!”

“Why not?”

The mad dummy sputtered and shook. “Because… Just because!”

They shrugged. “Oh well, your loss.”

The other dummy looked at their cousin. “You sure we can’t be their friends?”

“Uh, yeah? They hurt you, and tore your dummy!”

It looked away. “I actually got that scratch a few days ago, from some cat that climbed on me in the darkness. You just assumed that the human did it when I told you the Queen stitched it up for me.”

“Oh. Well, still. I don’t think they’re the kind of friend you want. They’ll just hurt you again, I’m sure.”

“What if I promise to be careful?” Frisk gazed at them.

The mad dummy looked at Frisk again. “What?”

They put on a serious face. “If I promise you that I won’t hurt them, can I be their friend?”

It scoffed. “How will that help?”

“You’re obviously very protective of your cousin. I would be sure to be extra-careful around them, especially knowing that if I wasn’t, you’ll get mad at me again.”

It scowled. “You’re right, I’d get very mad!”

They smiled again. “So can we all be friends?”

The scared dummy looked expectantly at its cousin.

The mad dummy looked away for a few long moments. “Yeah, I guess that’d be fine.” It looked back at them. “But if you EVER hurt them again, I’ll make sure you wish you never fell into the underground in the first place!” It glared.

“Then we have a deal.” Frisk went to put out their hand for the dummies to shake before realizing neither of them had hands, opting for a massive grin instead. “We’re going to be best of friends!”

The other dummy looked down. “I… Don’t really know if I can be a good friend.”

They put their hand on its shoulder. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. As long as you’re open to friendship, you’ll do fine!”

“Well, okay. I’ll try.”

Frisk sat down. “So, where are you guys from?”

The scared dummy looked at them. “Waterfall.”

“Are you the only ghosts?”

It shook its head. “No, but we’re the only dummies.”

Mad dummy scowled. “The others think they’re too cool to possess dummies. Well, bah!”

“Inhabiting dummies is like our family tradition.”

“Yeah, who wouldn’t want to live inside a dummy?”

Scared dummy looked at its cousin. “Umm, well, the other ghosts?”

“Oh, right, of course. Still! Dummies are awesome.”

Frisk looked at the mad dummy. “You know, back when I went to a human school, I used to be called a dummy by the mean kids.”

It looked at them quizzically. “Is that even an insult?”

“Well…” They pondered for a moment. “I guess it’s an insult if you’re not a ghost living inside a dummy.”

“Hmm.” Its eyes lit up. “Then I guess we’re all just a bunch of dummies!”

Frisk smiled. “Heehee. Yeah. I’d have to be a real dummy to be your friend, wouldn’t I?”

Mad dummy scowled. “You’re right.”

They looked at the scared dummy. “So, can you forgive me for getting you hurt earlier today?”

It looked away. “I guess so. You said you won’t do it again, right?”

Frisk put their hand over their heart. “I promise.” They looked at the other, and smiled.

Mad dummy glared at them. “Don’t think this makes US friends though, human. I’m only agreeing because it might help my cousin, if you’re even serious. And if you aren’t serious, just remember…” It glared harder. “I HAVE KNIVES.”

A bead of sweat formed on Frisk’s forehead, and they wiped it away. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” They tilted their head quizzically at the mad dummy. “So, do you visit often?”

“They don’t usually like to talk to people, so I don’t come here often. But I’m glad I chose to come up today, because their little ethereal heart was almost broken by your reckless behavior.”

“You can leave your dummy whenever you want?”

“Not really… It happens only when we think its necessary.”

“So, what do you look like when you aren’t in a dummy?

Scared dummy spoke up. “Just sort of round on top? And tall?

“Are you invisible?”

“No, but we can turn invisible, if we want to.”

They leaned forward, interested. “So you could possess any object you want to?”

Both dummies nodded, and the mad one said, “Yeah, but we don’t inhabit a form we wouldn’t be willing to spend the rest of eternity in.”

Frisk nodded. “That makes sense. It’s like choosing clothes you can’t take off.”

Scared dummy looked at them quizzically. “I… I guess? I don’t know.”

“It’d be like, Asriel and I always have these blue and purple sweaters on, and if we had to wear anything else, we’d feel kind of silly.” They looked away. “Come to think of it, it’s kind of weird how his wardrobe was full of my favorite sweater color.” They shrugged and looked back. “But see, that makes me happy. I love this sweater.”

Mad dummy nods. “I guess that’s about right. We love our dummies too.”

Scared dummy nodded too. “I wouldn’t leave mine unless I was afraid of something.”

Mad dummy scowled. “When are you going to bed, human?”

They shook their head. “I’m still not tired yet.” They tilted their head. “Do ghosts sleep?”

“No, I’ve never met a ghost that can sleep.” The scared dummy looked away. “Well, one of them likes to pretend to sleep anyways… So if it IS possible, he’d be the first to know.”

“What’s his name?”

“Napstablook.” Mad dummy looked at them harder. “What, are you going to try to be their friend, too?”

Frisk shrugged. “Maaaaaybe.”

It scoffed. “Good luck, human. He’s the most pitiful ghost of all. I’m ashamed to call him my cousin. Luckily, if we wait long enough, he’ll forget he’s related to us.”

They gaped at the mad dummy. “That’s not a nice thing to say!”

The dummies glanced at each other. Scared dummy said, “I don’t even really like him. He makes me feel… Awkward… And I always get scared that I won’t say the right thing.”

Mad dummy nodded. “Yeah, he is super-awkward. His tears feel like acid, and he never stops crying. It’s literally painful to be around him.”

Scared dummy looked away. “I hate making him feel bad, but whenever I say the wrong thing, he starts bawling. I get so scared that I’ll say something hurtful that I say nothing at all.”

Frisk beamed. “Maybe I can help you be more confident?”

It shook its head. “I’m already confident.” It looked away. “Confident that I will say the wrong thing.”

Frisk frowned slightly. “I’m sure that’s not true!”

Mad dummy laughed. “The only way we’d ever talk to Blook is if he wasn’t such a crybaby.”

Frisk smiled confidently. “I’m sure I can help!”

“How are you going to help HIM?”

“They probably just need a good friend.” They looked at the mad dummy. “Like how you’re always there for your cousin!”

They both looked at the human uncertainly. “I don’t think that will be enough,” said the scared dummy.

“Yeah. As I said earlier, good luck.” Mad dummy looked away. “You really want to be everybody’s friend, don’t you?”

They smiled. “Yeah, everybody needs a good friend!”

Mad dummy scoffed. “You’re completely serious, aren’t you? You actually think everybody will want to be your friend?”

Their smile grew wider. “Of course! There’s no reason to hurt anybody!”

Mad dummy scoffed harder. “You’re hopeless. Ugh.” He glared at the ground. “Heck, I can’t stand you. I’m outta here.” With the sound of a slide whistle, he disappeared down the hall.

Frisk smiled kindly at the dummy. “That’s you’re cousin, huh?”

The dummy smiled slightly. “Yeah. He likes to stand up for me, which is good, because I don’t really like standing up for myself.” It looked like it was about to fall over. “Or, standing at all, really.”

“It’s always nice to have someone you know always has your back.” They smiled ruefully. “I never had anybody stand up for me like that back on the surface. You’re pretty lucky.”

“Yeah…” It looked away. “He can be mean at times, but he only wants me to be happy.”

Frisk stood up, and rubbed their eyes. “I’m tired now, but I promise I’ll be back down tomorrow. Asriel will probably want to apologize, too.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”

They stepped over to the dummy, and threw their arms around it, then stepped back. “I want to. I still feel bad about making you scared. I need to show you there’s nothing to be afraid of.” They smiled kindly. “There’s no reason for you to be alone so much.” They put their finger up as the dummy went to speak to silence it. “Even if you think that you can’t do anything right.” They skipped to the stairs. “Anyways, good night, friend!”

The dummy stared after them for a moment before its eyes silently returned to buttons in the darkness, certain of one thing: If the human was any meaner, they would surely be dreading their next meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internet still out. We went to a friend's house with internet, had just enough time to upload the chapter I had finished.


	10. The Skeleton Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara learns about names.

Chara stepped over a tough-looking branch and shivered as they pulled their hands into the sleeves of their sweater. They wondered idly where all this snow came from and glanced up, seeing a thin wisp of clouds very far up. Not much farther above that was a row of high-power lights that ran along the ceiling of the cave for its length. It cast deep shadows on the path between the trees.

SNAP!

They startled and spun around. The branch laying across the path had been snapped as if it was nothing, yet there was nobody behind them? They looked around for a moment, then continued warily down the snowy path. They thought for a moment that they heard a footstep, but they weren’t sure over the noise their own shoes were making. They came to a small bridge after a few moments, pausing to look at the clumsy fence built across it.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Chara froze, and not because it was cold. The unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed through the trees, approaching them from behind. The hairs stood up on the back of their neck.

“Human.” They voice was harsh, and deep. “Don’t you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.”

A chill ran down their spine, but they reassured themselves that they couldn’t die regardless of what happened. Slowly, they turned around and put their hand out.

He reached for it, squeezing something into their outstretched palm tightly. “Pfbfbfbfbfffffffffffffththt”

Standing in front of them was a skeleton with a huge grin and a blue hoodie. The noise lasted for several seconds before petering out. Chara chuckled, but still eyed him suspiciously.

“Heheh.” The skeleton put his hand back in his pocket. “The old ‘whoopee cushion in the hand’ trick. It’s ALWAYS funny.” He looked them up and down. “Anyways, you’re a human, right? That’s hilarious. I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton.”

Chara smiled. “I’m Chara.”

He looked away. “It’s good to meet you, Chara.” He looked back at them. “I’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but… Y’know…” The skeleton shrugged and looked away again, his hands still in his pockets, the grin still on his face. “I don’t really care about capturing anybody.”

Chara eased up a little. “You aren’t going to keep me from going home, are you?”

He shrugged again. “Nah, that’s not my style.” He looked back at them. “Now my brother, Papyrus… He’s a human-hunting FANATIC.” He looked over their shoulder. “Actually, I think that’s him over there.” He looked back. “I have an idea. Go through this gate thingy.”

They looked at the gate.

“Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.”

They walked through the gate into a clearing up ahead, Sans close on their heels. It contained a lamp and some sort of sentry station.

“Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp.”

They trudged over to the lamp and stood behind it, just as footsteps approached from the other end of the clearing.

“Sup, bro?”

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP,’ BROTHER!” The voice was loud, obnoxious, and grating. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?”

Chara peeked carefully from behind the lamp. The voice belonged to another skeleton, a full head taller than Sans. He had gloves, boots, a scarf, and an otherwise ridiculous outfit. Then they tensed up.

“Staring at this lamp. It’s really cool. Do you wanna look?”

Papyrus stomped his foot. “NO!! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?! I WANT TO BE READY!!!”

Chara relaxed a little. They peeked around the lampshade again.

“I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!” He put his hand on his chest, and his scarf billowed out behind him. “THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY… ‘FRIEND?’ I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.”

“Hmm… Maybe this lamp will help you.”

They breathed in sharply and silently cursed the grinning skeleton.

“SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!!”

“Hey, take it easy. I’ve gotten a TON of work done today.” He winked. “A skele-TON.”

“SANS!!!”

Chara stifled a laugh. That was a stupid joke, but for some reason they found it funny anyways.

“Come on, you’re smiling.”

“I AM AND I HATE IT!” He looked away. “SIGH…” “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…”

“Wow, sounds like your working yourself…” He winked. “Down to the BONE.”

“UGH!!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE… ‘BACKBONE’ INTO IT!!!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” He ran off, but came back. “HEH!” And then he was gone.

“Ok, you can come out now.”

They stepped out from behind the lamp and glared at the smiling skeleton.

He met their gaze. “You oughta get going. He might come back. And if he does…” He winked. “You’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.”

Chara scoffed and turned away, walking out of the clearing.

“Actually, hey…”

They stopped and turned around slowly.

“Hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking… My brother’s been kind of down lately… He’s never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day.”

They smiled weakly. “Do I have a choice?”

“Well, no. But don’t worry, he’s not dangerous.” He looked away. “Even if he tries to be.”

“Sure, whatever.”

“Thanks a million, I’ll be up ahead.” He turned and walked the other direction, and they continued. The convenience of that lamp still filled them with DETERMINATION. As they rounded the corner they saw a chest with a sign next to it. The first line on the sign said, “This is a box.” Chara looked at the box, and nodded, as it was indeed a box. “You can put an item in or take an item out. The same box will appear later, so don’t worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover.” Interested, they opened the box, finding in the bottom a single, worn, pink, leather glove. They didn’t bother touching it, instead throwing a piece of candy from their pocket inside and closing the lid. They continued into the next room, where the two brothers were in the middle of a conversation.

“SO AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE…” Papyrus stopped, seeing them approach. He and his brother looked at each other and back at them so fast that they both began spinning around like tops.

Chara boggled vacantly at the brothers’ shenanigans.

Finally, they both stopped, with their backs to them. “SANS!! OH MY GOD!! IS THAT A HUMAN!?!?!??!?!”

They both turned around to look behind Chara, then Sans turned to his brother and said, “Uhh, I think that’s a rock.”

Papyrus turned back to him, looking upset. “OH.”

They waited patiently.

Sans looked back at them. “Hey, what’s that in front of the rock?

Chara waved tentatively as Papyrus’ gaze fell on them, to speed things along.

Papyrus’s face lit up. “OH MY GOD!!!” He turned back to his brother and whispered loudly, “IS… IS THAT A HUMAN?”

Sans whispered loudly back, “Yes.”

They both turned back to Chara. “OH MY GOD!!! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!! UNDYNE WILL… I’M GONNA… I’LL BE SO…” He seemed to bounce with excitement. “POPULAR! POPULAR!! POPULAR!!!” He cleared his throat furrowing his brow menacingly and pointing at them with a gloved hand. “HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN!!!” He looked away uncertainly, and let his hand fall to his side. “I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S NEXT.” He looked back at them, giving them his brave face. “IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!!!” He ran into the next room, cackling, “NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

Chara stood there in disbelief, still questioning what exactly it was they were just a part of.

“Well, that went well.” Sans was looking at them. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I’ll keep an eyesocket out for ya.” Then, he walked away too.

They followed slowly, chuckling slightly at what they just witnessed. It surely would have been more efficient for him to try to capture them on the spot, but they weren’t complaining.

There was a large cardboard box to their left, and they walked over to inspect it, when suddenly their soul was out of their chest, and a Snowdrake was fluttering down above them.

Through a mouth with dozens of teeth that all somehow rotated in its beak, it said, “‘Ice’ to meet you.”

Chara groaned audibly. “Seriously? More puns? That skeleton was bad enough. Puns aren’t funny.”

It gawked at them. “Is your flesh as rotten as you?” Then, glints of light appeared around him, flying towards their soul.

They took a hit, but they quickly saw the pattern, and maneuvered their soul to avoid the remaining bullets. They pulled out their knife. “You want to get out of my way, Snowdrake?” They looked at it quizzically. …Snowdrake?

“Oh my God! I just realized my own name is a pun! That’s hilarious! Oh wow!”

The creature had not told them its name. How did they know it already? Then they saw it. Above the monster’s head, letters grew crisper as they read them, spelling out ‘Snowdrake.' They looked at the bird that was still freaking out. “You’re name is as unfunny as you are.”

It gawked at them. “You take that back! My Dad has an excellent sense of humor if he named me this!”

Chara smiled wickedly. “Are you sure he loved you? Are you sure he didn’t name you that because you were a joke to him?”

Snowdrake sputtered and shook. “I… You… Well…”

They tilted their head back, glaring at him from beneath their bangs. “You're just like me.  No one will ever love you the way you are, will they?”

It glared at them, then gazed feebly at the ground looking back and forth, before closing its eyes and trudging away slowly.

Chara watched them leave, their soul returning to its place in their chest. They spied a small amount of gold laying on the ground. It must have dropped it when it slinked away, and they picked it up before looking at the box. It had a sign on the front of it.

“You observe the well-crafted sentry station. Who could have built this, you ponder? I bet it was that very famous Royal Guardsman! (Note: not yet a very famous Royal Guardsman.)”

Obviously written by that incredibly self-absorbed skeleton. They pushed on. This place was absurd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My internet is back up! Also, this chapter was (relatively) quick to write, since I had to take so much text directly from the game. Which I hate doing, but I feel it's necessary. Building up Chara is delicate, and hard. But I trust it will pay off.


	11. The Obnoxious Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mastermind of this universe is revealed.

“Absolutely NO MOVING!!!”

Chara smiled at the sign and continued on.  How were they expected to not move?  They stepped in front of a shack, freezing when they saw a dog stand up and look up and down the path.  It had a lit dog treat hanging from its mouth.

“Did something move?  Was it my imagination?  I can only see moving things.”

They held their breath.  Why had they not expected another holdup?

“If something WAS moving…”  It glared around the clearing.  “For example, a human…”  It leaned over its counter, taking a heavy drag from its treat before extinguishing it with a hiss.  “I’ll make sure it NEVER moves again!”

Chara gasped as their soul rose out of their chest.  Doggo turned at the motion of their soul, and pulled two swords from behind the counter, leaping directly in front of it.  By the time he landed, he was holding one sword in front of him, and it glowed bright blue before he swept it directly across their soul.

They steeled themselves for the certain pain, but there was none.  It hadn’t hurt them?  They opened their eyes, breathing a sigh of relief.

Doggo looked confused, and he was looking around as if he’d lost it.  “Where are you?”  He switched swords, and magic crackled around his blade as he swept it directly across their soul again.  His confusion deepened.

Chara smiled.  He literally could not see them if they didn’t move, could he?  He wasn’t even sure if someone was here anymore, was he?  It looked like he could he not attack them if they didn’t move.  They smiled, and wondered what would happen if they pet him?  He was too far away, though.  If they stepped forward, their soul would move, and he would know where it was.  Unless…?  When he wasn’t looking directly at them, they thought ‘back’ as they stepped forward.  The movement of their soul and the movement of their body cancelled out, and it stayed in the same place as they stepped cautiously towards him.

They were standing right behind Doggo, and watched as the blue blade again swiped their soul painlessly.  “Is there even anybody here?”

They pet Doggo.

Suddenly, he jumped away from their hand, barking and looking around wildly.  “WHAT!!!  I’VE BEEN PET!!!”  He swept his sword across their soul again quickly.

They repeated the process, thinking the opposite direction they were walking until they stood beside him, and pet him again.

“WHERE’S THAT COMING FROM!”

Chara giggled.  Tormenting the walking dog was fun.  They did it again.

“THERE’S NO END TO IT!”  He took a step back, some gold spilling out of his pocket as he crawled over the counter into his station.  “S-S-S-Something pet me…  Something that isn’t m-m-moving…”  His eyes widened as he looked around frantically.  “I’m gonna need some dog treats for this!!!”

Chara watched him sink beneath the counter, and their soul filled their chest once more.  Once they were sure he wasn’t looking, they continued on, smiling.

They rounded the corner, and ran into another smile.  Sans looked at them, his unending grin spread wide across his face.  “Hey, here’s something important to remember.  My brother has a very special attack.  If you see a blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you.  Here’s an easy way to keep it in mind.”  He set his head to the side mischievously.  “Imagine a stop sign.  When you see a stop si—”

“Wait.”  Chara scowled and put both hands palms-out in front of them.  “So if I see blue magic, you’re telling me to not move at all?”

He nodded.

They grinned painfully, putting their arms down and clenching their fists.  “Maybe…!  You could have told me that…!  Before my last fight…!?”  They gestured over their shoulder.  “For a second, I was scared that stupid dog might get me killed again.”

He shrugged nonchalantly.  “Eh, it wouldn’t have been fun otherwise.”  He looked them up and down.  “And, what exactly do you mean by, ‘again?’”

Chara froze and looked away.  “Well, I just mean…  That wasn’t the first time I feared for my life since I got here.  And, you could’ve, uh…  Been nice enough to tell me that information before it was necessary.”

He closed his eyes and tilted his smiling head to the side, shrugging more forcefully.  “Eh, fair enough.  Anyways, I’ll see you around.”  He walked back towards Doggo.  Chara breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.

Many puzzles, a plate of frozen spaghetti, and a death at the hands of a pair of axe-wielding dogs later, Lesser Dog was bowing its head sadly as they shoved past it.  They were deep in thought.  This place was dangerous, but did it actually pose any threat to someone who couldn’t die?  But if the others also couldn’t die, then why had they never returned?  They needed to find out what happened to the other humans, so they would not suffer the same fate.  So they could find a way out and return home.  They wondered idly…  Would solving such a long-lasting mystery change how they were seen back in their town?  Could they be heralded as a… hero? 

They shook their head at how absurd a thought that was, striking down Dogaressa and dispatching her broken-hearted husband to continue.  Nothing they could do would ever change how the others looked at them.  And besides, they were done trying to impress such horrible people, people who didn’t even care if they were alive.  Was that not the reason they had come up here in the first place?  They had two options, and they chose to run away, hoping to be jumped by a mountain lion or something, anything to bring an end to their meaningless existence.

But they had still been scared of death.  And besides, it looked like fate itself had decided they should not die, and if they were alive, then they knew what they were supposed to do.  As they solved more inane puzzles, they were finally convinced of their purpose for living.  They were meant to escape, and kill everybody who had caused them pain back home.  And if they really couldn’t die, then they were sure they could do it, and more.  They carried on, filled with DETERMINATION as they were certain nothing would keep them from leaving.

They found themselves standing on a bridge.  As they neared the other side, they sighed.  The tall skeleton planted himself directly at the exit, and they stopped.

“HUMAN!  THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!  BEHOLD!”  He raised his arms dramatically, shouting even louder than normal, “THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!”

A rickety scaffold of wood and metal folded out from beneath the bridge.  Various weapons descended from the hobbled-together structure and pointed at them from either side of the bridge, consisting of a giant ball covered in spikes, two spears, a jet of flame, a cannon, and a black cat dangling from a rope.  The cat spat and hissed, swaying back and forth on the rope tied tightly around it.

“WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!!  CANNONS WILL FIRE!  SPIKES WILL SWING!  BLADES WILL SLICE!  EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN!  ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!!  ARE YOU READY!?  BECAUSE!  I!  AM!  ABOUT!  TO DO IT!”

Chara sweated a little.  Death was a painful setback, not permanent.  It no longer frightened them.  Still, it wasn’t activated.

“Well?  What’s the holdup?”

“HOLDUP!?  WHAT HOLDUP!?  I’M…  I’M ABOUT TO ACTIVA—!”

The cat broke free from its rope and leapt at Papyrus’ face, hissing murderously.

“AH!!  SANS, HELP!!  I’M BEING ATTACKED!!!”  He waved his hands in the air and ran around the clearing.

Sans chuckled.  “Wow.  That was more CATastrophic than I was expecting.”

“SANS THIS IS NO TIME FOR PUNS!!!”  It was scratching furiously at his eye sockets with its hind legs.  “THIS IS RATHER PAINFUL!!  WHAT IF IT RUINS MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!?!”

He shrugged.  “Eh, I’m sure there’s no CLAWS for concern.”

“SANS!!!!!”  Papyrus shrieked, before peeling the cat off his face.  It lashed out a final time with its paw before twisting out of his gloved grip and dashing off towards Snowdin.  Papyrus looked down at himself and gawked at the gash on his clothes.  “SANS!!  MY BATTLE BODY!!!  ITS RUINED!!!!!!”  A tear came to his eye, and he wailed.  “SANS!!!  YOU LAZYBONES!!  YOU COULD HAVE HELPED!!!”

His smile creased unperceivably at the edges, his eyes doing more to betray the affection for his brother.  “It’s okay.  It looks cooler now, anyways.”

Papyrus smiled, wiping his tears away with a gloved hand.  “YOU THINK SO!?”

“Yeah, now it looks its seen battle.”

“YOU’RE RIGHT!!”  He stood up tall.  “I SHOULD DO THAT WITH ALL MY THINGS!!”

Chara sighed.  More garbage.  They just wanted to get past.

Sans looked at them, then back at his brother.  “You, uh, going to activate the trap?  The human’s still on the bridge.”

“THAT’S RIGHT!!”  Papyrus looked over, and put on his serious face.  “HUMAN!!  THANK YOU FOR WAITING.  I WILL CAPTURE YOU NOW!”  He looked away.  “BUT, THIS CHALLENGE IS NO LONGER AS DIFFICULT AS IT ONCE WAS.  SO, IT SEEMS…  THIS PUZZLE IS NOW TOO EASY TO DEFEAT YOU WITH!  YEAH, WE CAN’T USE THIS ONE ANYMORE!!!  I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS!!!  AWAY IT GOES!” 

Chara gazed on in wonder and relief as the rickety structure folded back underneath the bridge.

He turned around, saying “PHEW,” before turning back to look at them.  “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?  THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!!  NYEH!!  HEH!!”  He looked away.  “HEH???”  Then he turned and rushed out of the clearing.

They stepped forward to the end of the bridge, and looked at Sans.

“I don’t know what my brother is going to do now.  If I were you, I’d make sure I understand blue attacks.”

They scoffed, and continued into the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. The best explanation for why is twofold. Primarily, I encountered writer's block in trying to perfect Chara's train of thought, while still skipping most of Snowlands. The second reason is I got preoccupied with an ongoing AU/ARG at https://www.reddit.com/r/HELP_tale/comments/474kno/list_of_help_tale_parts/ Again, incredibly sorry about the delay.


	12. Snowdin Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chilly reception to a quaint village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I managed to shirk my responsibilites for a day. The new chapter is coming together, but I am going to need another day. Sincere apologies for the inconvenience. :(
> 
> Also: edited the chapter slightly. One paragraph split, one line changed, one line added.

Chara lifted the lid of the box.  Sure enough, the pink leather glove was at the bottom, a lonely piece of monster candy sitting on top of it.  They placed a cinnamon bunny beside it and closed the lid.  They had already eaten one, and had purchased another for later.  They stepped into the Snowed Inn, and payed the woman the 80 gold.  They trudged upstairs, weary from their latest death.  They were glad their life had purpose, but they wished it wasn’t so painful when they were brought back.  They tossed and turned for ten minutes with the sound of snoring in the next room, and despite how determined they were to sleep, it was not until the tenants next door awoke and shuffled down the hall that they finally drifted into sleep in the warm, rented bed.

 

They opened their eyes, blinking the sleep and the light away, squinting.  The countryside stretched before them, and they walked quickly down the slope.  Their town came into view, and they smiled as they ambled through the streets, going home.  Opening the door, their parents came rushing towards them, lavishing them with apologies and praise.  Useless.  They raised their knife, burying it deep into their mother’s back, oil gushing forcefully from the wound.  She staggered back, and they turned to their father, raking the knife across his ribs, slashing through the bone and nicking his heart.  Petroleum sprayed everywhere, and dripped stickily from the walls and ceiling.  They turned to leave, knife glowing an angry red in their hand, into the yard.  The townspeople shrieked as they raised their knife, and

They woke up in a bed of golden flowers, gazing lazily up at the ceiling, and the hole through which sunlight filtered dimly on the walls.  They looked at their knife that was clean of stains, and stood up, surprised.  They ran into the next room, and the flower smiled at them cheerfully.  “Back so soon, huh?”  Its voice dripped honey.  “Golly!  You look lost.”  Its grin turned evil.  “And you’ll stay that way.”  Bullets flew towards them, and they put their hands up to block them.  The bullets ripped holes in the flesh on their arms, oil dripping from the cuts under their sweater as the bullets came, wave after wave.  Their sweater, and arms, were in tatters.  “DIE!!”  A bullet floated towards their face, and they were in too much pain, too weak to stop it.  They screamed

 

They awoke with a start, and the room stilled around them.  The sound of snoring filtered through the walls, and their sheets were cold.  Despite the nightmare, they were well-rested, and they slipped out of their bed and flew down the stairs, handing the room key to the bunny lady.

She smiled as they approached.  “Hiya!  You look like you had a great sleep.”  A puzzled look touched her features as she picked up the key on the counter.  “Which is incredible, because you were only up there for about two minutes.”

Chara looked at her quizzically as she handed them 80 gold.

“Here’s your money back.  You can pay me if you’re going to stay overnight.”

Chara nodded awkwardly and thanked her before turning out of the lobby, into the bitter cold and snow.  Shivering, they walked forward, a pep in their step as they walked through town, first stopping beside a pine tree in the center of the clearing.  It was heavily decorated with ornaments, and presents were laid out beneath it.  They had a strong urge to rip open one of the presents, but there were too many people watching.  As they walked past, someone spoke to them.

“Yo!”

They turned to face the childish, squeaky voice that addressed them.  It belonged to some sort of lizard monster that lacked arms.

“You’re a kid too, right?”  It smiled.  “I can tell ‘cause you’re wearing a striped shirt.”

Their expression soured ever so slightly.  Its assumption was correct, but its logic was flawed.   “You know, just because you’re a kid, doesn’t mean you have to wear a striped shirt.  I could have just as easily chosen a different shirt today.”  They pointed at their signature green sweater with yellow stripes.

It nodded thoughtfully.  “That’s a good point.  Like, I’ve always wondered if that weird skeleton was an adult or a kid.”

Surely that meant the tall skeleton?  Sans surely didn’t act like a kid.  “Eh, maybe.”

They walked away before the monster kid could say anything else, hurriedly passing a place named Grillby’s, two more kids (one of whom lacked a striped garment), a library…  They did a double take.  The sign was misspelled.  They shrugged and continued, passing a two-story house, the biggest and last house in the quaint town, before coming to the bank of an icy river.  The lights above them were closer with the lower ceiling, and the cave ahead of them was far less open.  Multiple holes studded the uneven, sloped ceilings and walls, and tiny streams trickled from the highest ones, reaching them as a mist which had frozen on its way down.  Additionally, the river flowed into the biggest cave, and a fog rose from deep inside it.  Together, the fog and frost obscured their vision.

They saw a silhouette through the frost.  Ahead of them stood Papyrus, and, with a deep voice, he shouted, “HUMAN.  ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS.  FEELINGS LIKE...  THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER.  THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER’S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS.  THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL.  THESE FEELINGS…”

Even through the icy haze, they could see the corners of his mouth tilt up in a smile.

“THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!!!”

They facepalmed.  Whatever, so long as he let them pass.

He continued.  “I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY.  AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT.  I DON’T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE.”  His smile faded.  “I PITY YOU…  LONELY HUMAN…  WORRY NOT!!!”  His smile returned.  “YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER!  I THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…”

Chara waited for the skeleton to finish his sentence, and move out of their way like a good ‘friend.’  Yet, he didn’t continue.  Instead, he turned around.

“NO…”  He put a hand to his face.  “NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG!  I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND!!!”  He turned back around to face them.  “YOU ARE A HUMAN!  I MUST CAPTURE YOU!!!  THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!!!”  He put a hand on his chest, and his silhouette stood proudly.  “POWERFUL!  POPULAR!  PRESTIGIOUS!!!  THAT’S PAPYRUS!!!”  He dropped into an action pose.  “THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

Chara’s ribcage tingled as the soul energy floated from their chest and coalesced in front of them.  They felt anger towards the fool standing in their way.  Despite everything, he insisted on stopping them, even when it had seemed he would let them go.  “Get out of my way, moron!”  They pulled out their knife.

Bones erupted from the snow, but crawled lazily across the ground beneath their soul.

They gazed on, puzzled.  “That’s all you have, lame-bones?”

“HOW SELFLESS.  YOU WANT ME TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT FIGHTING YOU!”  A flattered look spread across his features.  “I DON’T DESERVE SUCH HOSPITALITY FROM YOU.”  A very long bone swept left to right across the entire clearing between them, horizontally.  Their soul stayed in front of them, and the bones phased harmlessly through their ankles.

“Seriously?”  They put their knife away.  “You might as well not fight me.”

“SO YOU WON’T FIGHT…  THEN, LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED ‘BLUE ATTACK’!”  He pointed dramatically at them, blue bones flying from behind him and practically filling the clearing.

Chara stood in place.  This was absurd.  This skeleton physically blocked their path, yet posed no thre—

Their soul turned blue, and they suddenly felt incredibly heavy.  They staggered, and their soul fell to the ground, their eyes widening as another long bone swept across the clearing horizontally, impacting their soul with a dull thud.

They regained their posture, looking at their soul on the ground, and the skeleton smiling at them.  They grimaced.

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW.  THAT’S MY ATTACK.  NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

They gritted their teeth.  Sans had warned them about blue attacks, but had failed to mention it was something completely different than what they had already encountered.  They silently cursed the grinning skeleton and pulled out their knife again.

“BEHOLD!”  More longs bones swept across the clearing.

The thought to raise their soul caused their soul to rise slightly before falling back to the ground.  They managed to pass over one bone but another passed through their soul with a dull thud.  A row of bones spiked out of the ground approaching their soul, and they attempted to squeeze between two in the line.  Instead, their soul hit both, and their breath hitched in their throat.  It felt like their ribs were cracking.

The skeleton put his hands on his hips.  “THINK ‘UP’ LONGER TO JUMP HIGHER, JEEZ!!!”

A few dozen bones lined up, sweeping en masse across the clearing, followed by a few more, and even taller waves.  They thought ‘up’ as much as they could, and successfully leapt their soul over the first row, but the second, higher row clipped their soul as it jumped over, breaking their concentration and dropping it to the floor.  They moved it backwards to give themselves time to make the jump, before thinking ‘up’ and soaring over two more rows of bones.  They were losing their strength, but they readjusted their posture to stand tall.

“YEAH!  DON’T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”

Chara gripped their knife, and leapt towards him to slash across his chest.  But, they stumbled and missed, and he knocked them back with a gloved hand.  They prepared to lunge again, but they felt…  That they didn’t need to fight him?  The more they thought about it, the more they could imagine it working.  This skeleton was weak-willed, maybe enough to let them pass.  What would it take for him to move?  They were too busy dodging to talk to him, but maybe something would come to them later.  They slipped their knife into their pocket.

Bones swept horizontally across the ground, and a wall flew from the trees to their right.  Their soul jumped, but the bones swiping across the top nicked it and their chest tightened even more.  Still, they fought through the pain, learning from their mistakes.

“I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!!”

A long bone swept across the clearing from left to right, while a wall of bones advanced from Papyrus’ feet towards them.  A small jump, then a big one over the fence, rinse and repeat, stopping short for a blue attack.  They failed to jump for a sucker shot flying across the ground, sending them to their knees.  Their soul landed, and they took a few deep breaths to steady themselves before rising again with some effort, their stance wide, a shaking hand reaching into their pocket to pull the knife out again.  Screw the thought they’d had about not attacking him; he was surely about to kill them.  But the air seemed colder, even though it was the same temperature it had always been since they left the Ruins.  Their shivers dislodged their knife from their hand, and it landed with a soft ‘schlick’ in the snow.

“PAPYRUS, HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

The attack began before they could retrieve the blade.  An old pattern swept across the clearing, and they maneuvered it with effort.  But, on one side of the clearing, a line of bones literally burst from the ground, followed rapidly by another row in front of it, and another in front of that.  The ones in the back started to go down, and more erupted in front.  It was a very beautiful, fast-moving wave, but they didn’t have enough time to appreciate its beauty.  They jumped too early, and a bone pierced the bottom of their soul, sending them to their knees immediately.  It had felt like they had bone pain in the soft tissues of their gut, and they struggled for breath, holding themselves up shakily.  Their arms buckled and their face pushed into the snow, the unconsciousness washing up over them like waves at a beach.

“YOU’RE TOO WEAK!!  I WAS EASILY ABLE TO CAPTURE YOU!!!  I WILL NOW SEND YOU TO the capture zo………..”  The skeleton’s words swirled around Chara’s swimming head, and they blacked out.


	13. Food and Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to rename, and actually repost this chapter because I accidentally deleted the wrong chapter. The April Fool's chapter was spared, and an innocent's life was taken. Apologies good sirs and madams, but the content of this chapter may be slightly different now.
> 
> I edited Papyrus's opening line in this chapter. I accidentally used the line after flirting. Whoopsie-doopsie!

Asriel wandered the Ruins looking for Frisk.  They had agreed to play hide and seek, but he hadn’t realized they were so good at it.  They had both started at Home, and even though they only had a ten second head start, he couldn’t find them anywhere.  Luckily, there was only one room left, even though it wasn’t technically part of the ruins.  He crept in, and saw Frisk sitting in a shaft of sunlight.  “Found you!” he cried as he ran over and put a hand on their shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Chara’s eyes flew open and they bolted upright.  That stupid skeleton had killed them, hadn’t he?  They stood up, their anger flaring until they looked around the in confusion.  They hadn’t been here before.  Had he not killed them?  Well, they couldn’t remember any sharp pain that eluded their memories.  Their knife laid on the ground beside them, and they picked it up, sliding it into its pocket.

They took a moment to look at the shed more carefully.  A fence crossed the door, so there was no escape.  The shed itself had two windows, and cracks ran along the walls.  They stepped over to one of the windows and looked outside, watching large blocks of ice sail down the river, and the snow from the end of the cave that drifted idly past on wind currents unseen.  Turning away from the window, they stepped onto a piece of paper.  It was a note, which they picked up.

‘SORRY, I HAVE TO LOCK YOU IN THE GUEST ROOM UNTIL UNDYNE ARRIVES.  FEEL FREE TO MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME!!!  REFRESHMENTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.  – NYEHFULLY YOURS, PAPYRUS.’

A bowl of dog food and a dog bed were his ideas of accommodations.  With a huff, they sat in the dog bed.  It was well-cushioned, but it would be too small for them to sleep, even if they were tired.  There wasn’t even any water.  They scowled.  They hadn’t had any water since they arrived, and they only just realized how thirsty they were, leaping to their feet to pull on the bars.  The gate was made of wood, maybe they could pull it down?  Wait…

They rolled their eyes and slipped through the bars of the gate with ease, and they opened the door into the frigid Snowdin air.  Without a thought, they went behind the shed, drinking with cupped hands from the icy river.  Their shoes crunched in the snow as they made their way back to the path out of town.  Chara sighed as, again, his shadow loomed through the flurry of frost.

“OH... WHERE COULD THAT HUMAN HAVE GONE.” His eyes rested on them. "WAIT... IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!! HELLO!" He wavedbefore continuing, "I WAS WORRIED THAT YOU HAD GOTTEN LOST! IT SURE IS A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE RIGHT HERE..." He put a hand to his chin. "WAIT A SECOND!!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ESCAPE!!!" He struck a pose. "GET BACK THERE!!!"

Chara sighed as their soul floated out from their sweater.  All they wanted to do was get past him.  But, they definitely felt strongly that he shouldn’t die.  They had never had such an easy time figuring out what someone’s ulterior motives were.  He wanted to capture them, but he really wanted to be their friend.  A true friend would let them pass, though, but at least he hadn’t killed them.  They looked into the smiling face of Papyrus.

“WHERE WERE WE…  OH YES!!!  PAPYRUS!!  HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!!!”

Then, the bones started flying from the trees, and their soul turned blue just as the onslaught arrived.  Horizontally, high off the ground.  Walls of varying heights out of the ground.  They leapt over each wall.  Feeling well-rested, they could concentrate on the patterns with ease.

“PAPYRUS!  UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE!”

More bones, in full walls, sped towards them.  It took a moment for them to see there was a small hole, just big enough to fit through.  They leapt through the hole, and the next wall came.  Left, and up higher, and they were through it, almost not stopping in time for the blue attack that swept across the clearing.  But, another bone flew across, and they stumbled with the impact, quickly recovering and jumping to the hole between two walls that had formed on either side of the clearing, almost crushing them.

The skeleton’s bones rattled noisily.  “UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD OF ME!!”

A wave formed at his feet, and off to the side.  They jumped over both, then the next two that formed on the river side and at their own feet.

“THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY FACE!!”

Three rings formed around their soul, all closing in to the center.  They leapt over the first ring, which expanded again as it passed under them.  Falling back into the center, they leapt to the right, keeping pace with the advancing rings until they leapt again, over the last ring, then back again.  They had not been hit.

“MY BROTHER WILL…”  He looked away slyly.  “WELL, HE WON’T CHANGE VERY MUCH.”

More rings.  Lower walls, higher speed.  It caught them off guard, and they got hit once, then again from landing on top of another bone.  They winced and their stance widened.

“I’LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS!! BUT…”

A bone swept across the clearing, then walls with holes.  They didn’t jump high enough for the last one, and their ribs ached.

“HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SINCERELY LIKE ME?”

A bone fence approached, complete with a cross-piece.  It made them chuckle slightly, and they directed their soul over it with ease.  More walls, with holes ever lower.  They jumped too high for the third, and their collarbone protested.  Then, two additional walls, with the holes changing heights.  They timed the first well enough, but the second clipped the bottom of their soul as it rose without warning.  They put their hand over their chest, breathing roughly.  They looked up at Papyrus, and smiled with effort.  The skeleton was not stopping, and they were getting worn out.

He smiled back.  “SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE…”

His attacks got more extreme.  The walls shifted height, waves with walls above them.  Chara stopped looking at the shape of the bone patterns but the space between them.  Something clicked.

“I DON’T THINK THEY’LL LET YOU GO…”

A long bone swept across the snow.  A wall of blue.  Another bone.  A wall of blue.  They jumped and froze, jumped and froze, looking at how much space was between each attack, and how high they needed to jump to clear them.  They got hit once.

“…AFTER YOU’RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY.”

A big wave burst ferociously from the ground, and flew towards them, another forming on the other side of the path.  They cleared it, but not the next one, landing on top of the last bone.  They fell to their knees, but stood up shakily.  Their strength was dwindling, and he would capture them again for sure.  Not that escaping would be difficult.

“THEN WE’LL…”  Papyrus facepalmed, holding the other glove out.  “SORRY HUMAN!!  JUST ONE MINUTE, I STARTED TO PREPARE A NON-BONE ATTACK.  I NEED TO FIX THIS!!”

They blinked.  How do you accidentally mis-prepare an attack?  They shrugged, and flopped down into the snow.  Their stomach grumbled, and they pulled a piece of candy from their pocket.  They unwrapped it and popped it in their mouth.  It was a distinctly non-licorice flavor.

Their eyes flew open as it melted in their mouth.  The ache in their bones disappeared, and they felt energy flow into their mind and body.  Their strength was renewed?  Not entirely, but they could stand without shaking.  A pleased smile crept on their lips as the skeleton turned back to face them.

He looked ponderous.  “WHERE WAS I?”  He tapped his foot, holding his chin thoughtfully before throwing up his hands.  “URGH…  WHO CARES!  GIVE UP!!”

The attacks got more extreme.  The bones were moving as they approached the soul, and it took all of Chara’s concentration to predict their movements.  Papyrus quietly whispered “Nyeh heh heh!” and it broke their concentration enough that they got hit once.  They shot him an angry glare.

“GIVE UP OR FACE MY…”  He posed dramatically before shouting, “…SPECIAL ATTACK!!!”

The bones flew faster, moved quicker.  Another hit, and their bones ached again.

“YEAH!!!  VERY SOON I WILL USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”  His bones were rattling again.

Two fast waves.  They timed their jumps carefully, just barely clearing both.

“NOT TOO LONG AND I WILL USE THAT SPECIAL ATTACK!”

They grimaced.  “Just use it already!” they yelled, walls of bones flying towards them.  Again, their soul fit neatly through the holes.  They were low on strength, but the patterns were familiar.  The bones were cleared with ease.

“THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE…  BEFORE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!”

Short walls of bones appeared on both sides of the clearing, meeting in the middle and continuing to the opposite side.  They realized simply jumping in the middle was enough to pass it safely, but still managed to get hit.  They fell to their knees again, standing on shaky legs.  Their burst in strength had led them here, but no further.  They were on the verge of collapse.

Papyrus pointed at them menacingly, a cruel grin on his face.  Louder than normal, he shouted, “BEHOLD!!”  He threw a bone on the ground dramatically.  “MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!!”

Chara saw that black cat streaking through the underbrush in their peripheral vision.  Wherever it was going, it was far away from here.  Their attention returned to the bone.  It was simply lying on the ground, right at the skeleton’s feet.  It wasn’t doing anything.

They smiled weakly.  “That’s not much of an attack.”

He smiled.  “YOU’RE NOT WRONG!”  With a flourish, he swept his hands over the bone.  It began vibrating, slowly at first, then faster.  It became longer, then folded.  The more it lengthened, the more it folded.  Soon, it was as tall as the skeleton itself, and kept growing, the sound of bone scraping on bone filling the clearing.

The shadow of Papyrus’ special attack loomed over them, and the shape of it told them exactly what was about to happen, their face paling as everything about the skeleton came into focus.  His intimidating height, his cool attitude, his unwavering sportsmanship.  Chara wasn’t ready.  They were too weak, they would be beat in an instant.  They gasped as their soul changed colors once more.

 

* * *

 

Frisk sat with their legs in front of them, leaning up against a pillar.  They gazed at the hole in the ceiling far above them.  A hand grasped their shoulder, and they gazed up at the loving eyes of their brother.

“Found you!” he said with a smile.

Frisk looked back down.  “Yeah…”

“You know, this isn’t technically a part of the ruins.”

“Yeah, I know…  I just saw this room, and remembered something.”  They looked back up at the hole in the ceiling.  “This is where I fell down, isn’t it?”

Asriel startled, but nodded.  “Yeah, that was a while ago, huh?”

Frisk nodded absently.  “Yeah…”

He sat down beside them.  “You okay?”

They looked at him, and decided that he deserved to know.  “Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just…  Sometimes I wonder what’s going on up there since I left.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”  They sighed shakily.  “I came up here because my parents used to yell at each other a lot, and at me sometimes.  I kept hoping that they would figure it out eventually, but it always got worse and worse.  Sometimes…”  They took a shaky breath, recalling too many memories that they couldn’t forget.  “Sometimes they would even tell me I was the reason they weren’t happy, that they were happy before I showed up.”  Wetness pooled idly at the bottom of their eyes.

“That’s not very nice!  Why would they say that?”

They shook their head, pulling their legs closer.  They had never figured that out.  “I don’t know…  But I ran away because I thought it would make them happy.  I meant to go back, eventually…  I still loved them.”  They wrapped their arms around their legs.  “But it’s been so long…  They probably think I’m dead.”  They buried their face between their knees, tears falling gently on the ground below them.  “They’re probably happier without me, anyway.”

He put his arm around Frisk.  “Don’t say that!”

Frisk sobbed, looking deep into Asriel’s eyes.  “Why not?  It’s probably true.  They were all I had, but they hated me, and each other, so much.”  They shivered.  “I just wanted to see them be happy together, and be happy for me.  Even if it meant I had to leave for a while.  But now, I can never go back.” 

Asriel patted their back, but didn’t know what to say.  He opted for, “Well, if they couldn’t appreciate how wonderful of a person you are, then they weren’t good parents.  And besides.”  Asriel smiled.  “If they were nice, I never would have met you.”

Frisk looked up at them and smiled weakly.  “Yeah, you’re right…  I just wish I could know for sure how they were doing.”

He smiled back at them.  “Maybe we can find a way through the barrier, someday?”

“That would be nice…”  They looked up at the hole in the ceiling.  “Maybe I could go back out the way I came in?”

Asriel looked up too.  “Maybe?  It’s pretty far up there, though.”

Frisk smiled.  “Maybe we can get a rope.”

He gazed at them softly.  “You really want to go back, huh?”

They looked down.  “Just long enough to see if they’re happy.”  They turned to Asriel.  “I wouldn’t be long, I’d come right back.”

Asriel nodded.  “Okay…  I guess we could figure something out for you.”  He looked away.

“Maybe you could come with me?”

“What?”  He turned back to them.

“I mean, you said you’ve never seen the stars.  I’d like to show you them someday.”  They smiled.

He returned the smile.  “I’d like that, too.”

They rested their head on his shoulder, and the pair gazed up at the ceiling, hands clasped in the streaming sunlight.  After a few minutes, they looked down, then at their brother.  “We should get going.  Mom and Dad should be done with their business in the ruins of Home.”

Asriel stood up slowly, offering his hand to them again.  “Well, we don’t want them to get worried.  Let’s go, Frisk.”

They took it graciously and pulled themselves to their feet, filled with DETERMINATION that, someday, the siblings would walk on the surface, hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed the physical reaction to eating monster food. Monster food is immediately absorbed. I am keeping the snail pie reaction in chapter 2 because snails have slime, which is hard to get rid of from magical recipes (Besides, the slime is the part the Dreemurrs love most.)


	14. Ghost Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisky fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, it's probably a good idea to mention somebody. This party would have gone much more poorly without the aid of my True Pacifist friend, a man by the name of Amphouse. In fact, this entire story wouldn't exist without him. Sorry for forgetting ya for so long, buddy.  
> Also its his birthday today. Happy Birthday, Amphouse! ^_^

The siblings sat in the courtyard of their house in New Home.  Toys from the crate in their room were strewn about the courtyard.

Frisk held one up with one hand, and swung it down on top of the one in Asriel’s hand.  With a soft ‘click’, the two fell to the ground.  Frisk stood theirs up, and began talking with their lips puckered as they angled one arm at their brother’s figure, voice uncharacteristically deep.

“I don’t want to fight you!  Accept my mercy!”

Asriel’s figure jumped onto its feet.  “Never!  I, the Grand Mage, will make sure you never see the light of day again!”  Its arm raised, and Asriel conjured a tiny bolt of magic, shooting it from the outstretched fingers.

The fire was short-lived, and Frisk had moved their soul behind them long beforehand.  The magic sprayed across their fingers, and they pushed the figure back.  With both hands, they moved its legs and arms into a perfect landing, and launched it back towards the Grand Mage, roaring, “Then you leave me no choice!  Suffer before my special attack!”  With that, their figure—

Asriel stood up sharply, Frisk’s soul returning to their chest as he stomped his foot.  “You can’t just hug him after he declares war on your people!  That would never work!”

Frisk pouted.  “Everyone can get along if they know they’re loved!”

“Wahaha!  If only things were always that easy.”

The siblings looked to the gate, Asriel jumping up first and running over to greet the old turtle.  “Uncle Gerson!”

Frisk stood up more slowly, placing their figure near Asriel’s before walking over to stand beside their brother.

Gerson ruffled their hair as they get close, smiling at them with a twinkle in his old eyes.  “Sometimes hugging it out doesn’t always work.  Especially when your enemy is afraid of you.”

Frisk looked down.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

He knelt down, looking Frisk in the eyes.  “I’m not complaining.  It’s refreshing to see a human willing to hug their problems away.”  He waved his hand dismissively.  “That’s not what I’m here for.  Umm…”  He scratched at his beard, saying, “Why did I come here again?”

A ghost floated from behind the old turtle.  “You came to fill in for my cousin, darling.”

Gerson snapped his fingers.  “That’s right!  I’ll go talk to the king right now.”  He shuffled past the children and disappeared into the house.

Frisk looked up at the translucent blob in front of them.  “Are you a ghost?” they asked curiously.

It smiled.  “Of course I am, you little cutie!”  It floated down level with the human.  “You’re the human, right?”

Frisk smiled.  “Yup!”

Asriel tilted his head.  “What brings you up here?”

The smile didn’t leave its face.  “I’m here to invite you to meet the other ghosts.  I heard about your darling sibling and decided to throw a party!  All the ghosts are at Waterfall right now, except for me and the dummy in your basement.”  It did a flip, its hair ruffling on top of its head.  “It’ll be glamorous!  Exciting!  New!  We’ll have so much fun!”

They clapped their hands.  “A ghost party!  I’ve never been to a ghost party before!”  They stopped, and looked away briefly.  “Or, any party, really…”

The ghost gasped and put on a worried expression.  “Well, we’re going to have to change that.”  It smiled again.  “Get ready for the most splendid party you’ve ever heard of!”

“Oh, that’s today?”  The scared dummy floated out from the house.

The ghost smiled wide, floating over to the dummy.  “Darling!  I hardly ever see you!  How are you?”

It smiled weakly.  “I’m doing pretty good.”  It looked away.  “That came quicker than I was expecting.  I guess I’m ready.”

The ghost smiled.  “Good to hear!”

Asriel glanced back at the house.  “We should let our parents know we’re heading out…”

The ghost flipped its hair, saying, “No need, darlings!  Gerson already has that covered.”

Frisk grabbed their brother’s hand, a wide smile across their face.  “Well, what are we waiting for?”

“Children!”  They all turned to see Toriel running from the house, a bag in each hand.  “I heard you are heading to Waterfall.  So, I brought you some things.  Here!”

The siblings each took a bag.  Frisk opened theirs, peeking inside.

“There’s a slice of both butterscotch-cinnamon and snail pie for each of you!  There’s also some of your father’s dry tea, so if you get hot water at some point, you can make some tea for yourselves.”  She bent down and scooped them both up in a hug.  “Take care, and have fun, my children!”  She placed them down, and walked into the house, stopping briefly to pick up the toys and cast a final glance towards them before disappearing through the door.

“Well, I guess we’re ready?” Asriel said as he stuffed the bag into his pocket.

Frisk smiled and nodded.  “Let’s get going.”

  

* * *

 

The group stepped into Waterfall.  Frisk hadn’t torn their eyes from the countless gems studding the walls.  They wondered idly how much those crystals would cost back on the surface.

“We’re here, darlings!”

They looked around the cave as they exited the corridor.  Two houses stood neatly in the small clearing, one white and one pink, both leaning away from each other.

Frisk stumbled and fell on their face.  They stood up, spitting dirt from their mouth and looking back at their feet.

“WHOA, there, pardner.  Watch where you’re walking, will ya?”

Frisk stood up.  “Sorry, Mr. Rock.”

The ghost scowled at the rock.  “The human didn’t mean it, gorgeous.”

The rock didn’t move, or show expression of any kind.  “Sorry, Mettaton.”

Mettaton smiled.  “It’s okay, darling.  Accidents happen.”

A robe flowed over gracefully, flapping gently as it moved.  “Tra la la.  You’re back, and with a guest.”

It bent over, revealing to Frisk the emptiness inside the article of clothing.  If they didn’t know there was a ghost inside, it might have spooked them out, but they just looked up at it and where the eyes should be, smiling.

“Tra la la.  You’re the Dreemurr children, yes?”

The siblings nodded in unison.

The robe curtsied.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, tra la la!”  With that, it floated back towards the dummies, as the Scared Dummy and Mettaton followed.

Asriel and Frisk exchanged a quick glance, and walked over as well.  There were a few tables lined up at the wall, covered with empty plates and bowls.  Across from that was a small DJ setup, with two old-school records ready to be mixed.  Frisk placed their bag underneath one table, and stepped into the crowd.

“Oh great, the human’s here.  Everybody get ready to have a GREAT time.”  The Angry Dummy’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, and it rolled its eyes for greater effect. 

Frisk smiled warmly.  “Is this everyone?”

Mettaton looked around at the assembled ghosts and gasped, disappearing into the house on the left.  “Blooky!” he called out as he phased through the wall.

  

* * *

 

The party continued well.  Napstablook had gotten some music going, and everybody talked about what they had been doing since last meeting each other.  Frisk had everybody laughing throughout the party, except for the Angry Dummy, who merely scowled the entire time.  Even Napstablook chuckled at some of the things Frisk said.  Asriel recounted stories about all the fun times they had had together.  Halfway through the party Frisk had asked when the food would come out.  The Angry Dummy told them that the ghost sandwiches were already piled high on the table, only laughing when Frisk tried to eat one and it phased through them.  Frisk bathed in his laughter, and exchanged their snail pie for Asriel’s slice of butterscotch-cinnamon before continuing the merriment.

It was finally nighttime, and the lights on the ceiling dimmed accordingly.  Everyone was getting ready to wind down for the night, when Frisk pulled Angry Dummy aside.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you…  I was thinking about how your cousin is scared all the time.”

It scoffed, saying, “Yeah?  What about it?”

They smiled.  “Well, I would like your permission to tell a scary story.”

“How will that help?  You’ll ruin all the progress they’ve made!”

They shook their head.  “It might scare them, but if they know it’s just a story, it could help them be more confident in scary situations?  I don’t know…”

It scowled.  “You seriously think that will help?”

Frisk nodded vigorously.  “I know it will!  Especially if you’re there to comfort them and reassure them it’s just a story.”

It looked away for a long moment.

“I won’t be hurting him, just scaring him.  But he knows you’ll be there for him forever, right?”

Angry Dummy’s face softened slightly, and he stared at the ground harder.  “Yeah, I’ll always be there to help them.”

They rest a hand on his shoulder.  “Be there to support them, and I’m sure they won’t get too scared.”

The pair rejoined the group, and Frisk racked their brain for a suitably scary story.  The group probably wouldn’t be afraid of axe-wielding murderers, or monsters in the forest, or creatures that killed people in their dreams.  Being non-corporeal, and otherwise being monsters, they would either be offended or not feel the fear a human would in those situations.  Then, something came to them, and they chuckled as they realized it was perfect.

They threw their hands in the air with a flourish and declared, “Gather round, everybody!  For I have a tale to tell.  A tale that will spook you all.  Prepare yourselves, for this is, what we humans might call, a horror story!”  They leaned down to Asriel and gave him instructions as the group huddled around.  Frisk laid their stick in the middle of the group, and Asriel conjured a fire that flickered warmly on the old branch.  Everyone settled to the ground, the orange light dancing across their features as they huddled close.

Frisk began to smile as they told their tale, even though they were sure they wouldn’t get all the details right.

“There was once a ghost named Slimer.  He lived in a hotel full of humans.  The humans usually didn’t know he was there, but sometimes they saw him, and he scared them without meaning to.  He would eat their food even though it passed through him, he would wander around, and he would just watch the humans go about their daily lives.  He was a very hungry, happy ghost.

“The humans were so afraid, however, that they called a group of men.  Men known for their ability to capture ghosts.  They were called…”  They leaned forward, the flames casting a shadow over their eyes as they tilted their head up, their smiling widening into a fearsome grin.  “The Ghostbusters!”

Gasps filled the clearing.  Nobody liked the sound of that.

“One day, the ghost was eating from a cart in the hall, as he had been known to do, when suddenly, one of these men fired a proton gun at them.  It used the power of science, a magic stronger than magic filled with more energy than you could imagine!  The ghost ran, but everywhere he turned, he found himself looking right at a new Ghostbuster.  Full of fear, he ran into another room, and when he didn’t see them, he was sure he was safe.  He even turned invisible.

“But the Ghostbusters followed him.  They watched him silently with the power of their science-powered ecto-goggles, that could reveal ghosts even if they were invisible.  Suddenly, they all ran into the room, and fired their proton guns at him!”  Frisk made noises with their mouth and held their hands as if they were holding a proton gun of their own.  Even Asriel was spooked, as the flames grew higher.

“He flew around the room, dodging their beams of science!  But they were getting closer to him, so he flew behind a bar, sure that it would protect him.  When suddenly!”  They made the sound of an explosion, and motioned with their hands vigorously, saying, “The bar exploded!  Under the fire of the proton guns, even the bar was not strong enough to hide him!  The tables were flipped over as the humans tried to get a good shot at him, but he flew around so much, that the humans ended up destroying half the room!

“After a while, though…”  Frisk let the pause hang in the air to look around the clearing.  All of the ghosts, except Napstablook, were leaning in, eager to hear what happened next.  The Scared Dummy’s body segments were shivering rapidly, unseen teeth chattering.  “The ghost got tired.  The humans flipped a table over and laid a device on the ground.  They each held their guns up, and fired at Slimer.  He screamed!  He was trapped, and as much as he tried to get away, he couldn’t move at all!”  Mettaton gasped dramatically.  “They pulled him down, down towards the ground, directly over the device!  He couldn’t move!  One of the humans pushed a button, and the device opened up, streams of science reaching up to grab ahold of the ghost.  It was a trap!  Slimer screamed and screamed, and tried to fly away, turn invisible, anything!  But it was not enough.  He was sucked into the trap, and the lid closed.”

For a moment, they didn’t know what they should say next.  That the humans were paid for their troubles?  That other humans got mad at the humans for ruining the room?  Then they smiled.  Even if it wasn’t true, they knew what to say next.  “Nobody ever saw him again.”

Frisk sat down, looking curiously at the Scared Dummy, shocked by the sight.  It was glowing a bright shade of yellow, and shivering something fierce.  It blubbered and shook, saying between its deep, ragged breaths, “I don’t…  I don’t…  Want that…  I don’t want to…”  It wailed, and the Angry Dummy, uncharacteristically soft, leaned against it as it shouted, “I don’t want to be trapped like that!”

Angry Dummy gently shushed them, saying gently, “It’s okay, it’s just a story.  It’s not real.”

Frisk stated, matter-of-factly, “Just because it never happened, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.”

Asriel and the Angry Dummy shot them a mean look as the other ghosts joined in to help comfort the yellow dummy, who screamed “They’re gonna get me!  They’re gonna get me!  They’re gonna get me!”  Napstablook stared at the scene blankly, then turned to Frisk.  Tears collected idly in the corners of his eyes, and he turned back to his cousins.

Angry Dummy looked its cousin in the eyes, and told him sternly, “No they’re not!”

The Scared Dummy blinked.  “Y-You’re right…”  It smiled, its golden light bathing the clearing.  “I-I won’t l-let them!”

A flash blinded Frisk and Asriel as they shielded their eyes against its light.  When they looked towards them again, all the ghosts had taken a step back, a look of awe spread across their features, even the rock.

The dummy stood in the middle of them all, looking down at himself, a look of pure happiness on his face.  “I…”  He smiled wide, and flew up into the air, spinning like a top.  “I’m fused!  I fused to my body!  I’m so happy!”  He spotted Frisk, and landed beside the human.  “Human!  I’m so happy!  I forgive you for scaring me!  You’ve made me happier than I ever thought was possible!”  He placed a firm, clothed kiss on Frisk’s cheek.  “Thank you so much!”

The other ghosts followed, and Mettaton gazed down at them with a tear in his eye.  “That was some wonderful theatrics, darling.  You scared him so much, he actually fused to his dummy.”  His eyes creased in a smile.  “I’m proud of you.”

The other ghosts congratulated them in their own ways.

Even the Angry Dummy was happy.  “You’ve done good, human.  I can’t say I hate you anymore.”

Frisk smiled, and asked, “If you’re corporeal now, does that mean you can eat normal food?

The Brave Dummy brightened.  “Yes!  Yes it does!”

They said, “I’ll be right back.”  They ran over to the table, and pulled the slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie from their bag, bringing it over to the dummy.  “Here, try this!”

The dummy took the pie, and ate it, his eyes lighting up as he chewed.  “This is amazing!”

Frisk looked around at the ghosts around them.  But, there was someone missing.  “Wait, where’s…”

Mettaton looked up, and frowned as he called out,  “Oh no…  Blooky!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited a single sentence. The children were addressed as a single entity by the riverghost.
> 
> Figure I need to say... Amphouse did not approve of the rock and robe being ghosts. And while it's true, they aren't particularly necessary, I feel its the best explanations. The riverghost merges when they help a cousin merge. If this were canon, this even would happen when the riverghost suggests Alphys talks to Mettaton about the robot body (which won't be seen in the narrative of this story). They become the Riverperson, an entity that fills the robe and makes it 'full' as it is seen in-game, and allowing them to put on as many pairs of pants as they like. Also explains their 'unimportant gender.' The rock? The rock bonded long ago. He was a happy ghost, but became bitter as he started to feel more and more like schist.
> 
> Here: Found this recently, after the chapter was published: https://soundcloud.com/chocolate2890/blookin-makes-me-feel-good


	15. Get Dunked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus's special attack, and a ghost is comforted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter got held up by a severe writer's block. The last parts of this chapter seems unworkable to me.

“Alright Frisk, are you ready?”

The human nodded, saying, “Work your magic.”

The holder of the camera took a deep breath, and said flatly, “I hate you Frisk!  Give me my cookies back, or…  Or else!”

Frisk gazed into their sweater, which was glowing a faint red.  They looked up and shook their head.  “Not yet.”

“G-give them back right now!  Or…  Suffer my eternal wrath!”

Another look at the glow, which had, if anything, dimmed slightly, and Frisk looked at them kindly.  “You’re too nice, Asriel.  You have to mean it.”

Asriel conjured a small lick of fire, pointing it at the human.  “Don’t make me take it by force, human scum!”

Their soul materialized, and they clapped with joy.  They moved it around experimentally before facing the refrigerator, and floating it up to the top, behind a ceramic jar sitting on the lip of the fridge.  They nudged it forward, and it toppled over the edge with their soul.  They quickly caught it in their arms, and they smiled widely as their soul expanded into its rightful place.  “Good work Asriel!  Did you get that on film?”

“Yup!”

“Cool.  I love you, Asriel.”

“Aww, Frisk.  I love you too!”

The camera shut off.

 

* * *

 

Papyrus grabbed Chara’s soul, backing up a few paces as they ate the rest of their candies.   They couldn’t move their soul, no matter how much they filled their mind with a single direction.  They felt slightly nauseous, but that was only because the tall skeleton was balancing their soul on the tip of one finger, spinning it like a top.  He had torn of his battle body, standing proud in his ‘cool dude’ shirt and basketball shoulderpads as he gazed down at the human.

“SINCE I CANNOT DEFEAT YOU WITH MY ATTACKS, PERHAPS I CAN BEST YOU IN THE MOST NOBLE OF FIGHTS!!!  YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PASS ME UNTIL YOU SCORE AT LEAST ONE POINT!!”

Chara panted.  The clearing had been lined with orange bones in a very distinct geometric pattern, and their soul had turned orange.  A little bit of blue still shined through thin lines that ran across all of the contours.  Behind them, a copy of Papyrus’s special attack had formed as well.

“AS LONG AS YOUR SOUL IS MOVING, IT WILL NOT TAKE ANY DAMAGE.  IF IT STOPS!  LIKE THIS!!”  Papyrus threw the soul in the air and caught it, holding it just long enough for them to exhale sharply as their chest deflated, before rolling it from one fingertip, over his shoulders, to the other hand, saying, “IT WILL HURT.  NOW, WE ARE READY TO PLAY, I THINK.  GET READY!!”  He struck an action pose as he began to dribble their soul, bellowing, “FOR BASKETSOUL!!!”

Chara watched as he passed it expertly from one gloved hand to another, between his legs, and took a shot at the special attack behind Chara, which was, of course, a basketball hoop.  They tried to jump, but Papyrus had a severe height advantage, and made it directly into the hoop.  They rushed over to their end of the court to grab their soul before it rolled to a stop.  They held it tenderly, briefly forgetting the rule to keep it moving.  They gasped from the crushing feeling and dropped it, dribbling as the pain subsided.

They had never been good at sports, especially basketball.  In school, they couldn’t really understood the cliques in gym that centered around the hooped sport.  But, here they stood, against an opponent twice their size.  If the tricks the skeleton had done with their soul were any indication, then he was far more skilled than any of Chara’s old classmates.  They could end this foolishness right now, with one swipe of their knife.  But…  They grimaced, stepping forward with their dribbling soul, making no move to reach for their blade.  All they needed to do was score one goal.  How hard could that be?

They dashed forward, dribbling, past the skeleton.  But Papyrus backed up as they approached, placing his hands to either side of him.  As they stepped to the right, he followed.  They jumped to the left, and he stayed in step.  They took a step back, acted like they were stepping to the right, and dashed to the left.  Papyrus scooped the soul out of their arms and dribbled it to the hoop behind them, tossing it in with no effort.

“NYEH HEH HEH!  THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT SO EASILY FOOLED BY YOUR TRICKS, HUMAN!”  He spun their soul on his finger as he walked back to his spot in the middle of the courtyard, planting himself between Chara and the hoop on his side.  He threw it down to dribble a few more times before passing it to Chara.

They stood in front of him yet again, soul bobbing up and down beneath their hand.  Papyrus again took that stance, and danced back and forth slightly in anticipation of their next move.  Why did it have to be basketball?  Why couldn’t it have been hockey?

With a grunt, they launched their soul over Papyrus’s head, toward the basket.  But, Papyrus reached a bony arm up to intercept it before gracefully leaping over Chara’s head to dunk it in the basket.  He returned it, dribbling and smiling.

“ARE YOU HOLDING BACK, HUMAN?  FEAR NOT!!  I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN HANDLE ANYTHING YOU THROW AT ME!!!”

They grimaced, carefully considering their options before running at Papyrus, then stepping back.  The skeleton took the opportunity to close the gap, and Chara swerved to their right, toward the trees to get out of Papyrus’ way before taking their shot.  But, again, a bony arm snatched it out of the air before launching it towards their hoop.

“NYEH HEH HEH!!  THE ONLY WAY YOU’LL WIN IS IF YOU ARE AS TALL AND MAGNIFICENT AS I AM!!!!”

Chara experimentally tried passing their soul from one handed to the other, while dribbling.  They almost dropped it, but a few extra tries and they were confident they had a reasonable grasp on the motion.  They rushed towards Papyrus, and dodged to his left, switching dribbling hands as Papyrus reached out to grab the soul.  But, their grip slipped as his arm distracted them, and the soul bounced towards the river.

With a blink of his eye, the soul was red and simply hovering just above the surface of the chilly water.  They brought it over the land, where it changed color again, bouncing into Papyrus’s arms.  He tossed it to them.

“HUMAN!!  BE MORE CAREFUL WITH YOUR AIM!”

They smirked, and observed his stance.  They went to his right.  He swiped it.

“YOU AREN’T AS SLIPPERY AS YOU THINK!”

They faked to the right and shot over his left shoulder.  He caught it.

“YOU ARE CLEARLY NO MATCH FOR ME!!”

They backpedaled and threw their soul into their own hoop.

“THANK YOU FOR THE POINT, HUMAN!!!”

They slipped past him long enough to take an unimpeded shot.  As the held their soul in front of them briefly, their breath hitched, and they quickly took the shot.  They missed.

“THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN!!  NYEH HEH HEH!!!!”

Chara continued to try to successfully pass the skeleton, and dodge his arms as they reached for their soul.  But, each time, the skeleton managed to wrench their soul from their grasp, making a perfect shot into the hoop behind them.

“YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE GETTING TIRED!  COME ON HUMAN, I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD, IF YOU JUST TRY!”

They grimaced again.  Then, an idea struck them.  They tossed their soul back to him, and with a confused look, he started dribbling it.

“ARE YOU CONCEDING DEFEAT?  I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HAPPILY CAP—”

Chara dashed forward, sliding between Papyrus’s tall legs, grabbing the ball as they slipped underneath him and scrambling to their feet, dribbling and closing the distance between them and the hoop.  With a jump, they launched the soul from their grasp, and watched it bounce against the backboard, waiting tensely as it spun around the lip of the hoop.

Papyrus’s eyes widened as the soul slipped through the net, and he began to clap.  “WELL PLAYED, HUMAN!  YOU HAVE BESTED ME!”  He looked down as their soul returned to red and floated into their chest, the hoops and court folding back into a single bone that he carefully picked up.  “IT LOOKS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, STILL HAVE MUCH TO LEARN IN THE FIELD OF BASKETSOUL!  I ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!!  NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY.”

Chara sighed heavily, nodding.  It was finally over.

Papyrus looked back towards Snowdin longingly.  “NYOO HOO HOO…  I CAN’T HOPE TO STOP SOMEONE AS SKILLED AS YOU…  UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME.  I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD…”  He looked down, continuing, “AND, MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

They scoffed.  It somehow didn’t matter to him that they only managed to get a single successful shot in?  Forget that they were glad it was over, this guy was absolutely hopeless.  They laughed, saying, “What a loser,” before turning to leave.

“HUH?  WHY WOULD YOU… BERATE YOURSELF SO LOUDLY???”

They stopped and looked at the skeleton that was now facing them from over their shoulder.

“IS IT BECAUSE…  YOU DON’T THINK YOU’RE GOOD ENOUGH TO BE MY FRIEND?”

Chara rubbed their temple and shook their head slightly.  “You’re kidding me, right?”

“NO!!!  YOU’RE GREAT!!!  I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND!”

They whipped around to face him entirely.  “You don’t get it do you?  I have no reason to be your friend!  I would rather choke myself to death with my underwear than be friends with you!” they spat.

Papyrus looked taken aback for a moment, then struck a pose.  “YOU DON’T NEED TO LIE ANYMORE, HUMAN!  I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST FRIEND YOU HAVE EVER HAD!!  NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!”

Chara turned and scoffed, walking out of the clearing.

Papyrus called after them, “W-WAIT!  HUMAN!  I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING IMPORTANT!!”

But Chara continued, oblivious to his cries, filled with DETERMINATION to put as much distance between themselves and the stupid tall skeleton.

 

* * *

  

“Napstablook?  Darling?”

Frisk followed Mettaton into the house on the left.

Inside, the sad ghost was sitting by his computer, weeping and shaking his head.

Mettaton floated close and rested his head against Napstablook’s shoulder.  “What’s the matter, Blooky?”

“Why?” he choked out through a sob.  The ghost shuddered, but leaned onto Mettaton’s head.

Frisk fidgeted.  This was uncomfortable, but the party had taken a sudden turn for the worse, and they were determined to make everyone happy.

Mettaton floated back and looked his cousin in the eyes.  “Blooky, you know I hate to see you cry.  Let me help you.”

He shook his ghostly head vigorously, tears flecking to the side from the blank expression on his face.  “I…  I’m sorry…  You don’t have to help me…  You can’t help me…”

Mettaton smiled patiently.  “I want to help you.  What’s wrong?”

Napstablook continued to shake his head.  “I don’t…  I don’t want to lose someone…  Again…”

The ghosts touched temples.  “Blooky, baby, that’s just how things go.  You—”

Blook shook his head, shoulders heaving as he sobbed.  “I know!  I know that!  But it’s not fair…  He’ll fall down someday, just like…”  He sobbed harder, the tears forming a puddle beneath his floating body.  “Just like…  Like…”  He broke down, and began bawling.

Frisk felt their chest warm.  They looked down at the red glow beneath their sweater.  They took a step forward, saying, “But, he’s happy now, isn’t he?  He always wanted to be corporeal.”

Mettaton gazed at them in shock, realizing he had left the door open.

Napstablook whipped around to face them, floating higher into the air as he moved closer.  “You!”  The tears fell in streams as his expression became pained.  “You made him fuse!  Do you have any idea what you’ve done!?”

Frisk shivered a little, looking the ghost in his sparkling eyes.  “Yes, he’s happy now.  You should be happy too!  Aren’t you family?”

Napstablook shook too.  “Yes!  Yes we are!  But now, they’ll die someday.  They’ll die and I’ll never remember what they looked like!” he blubbered, as Frisk’s soul formed in front of them.  “I barely remember the others.  We’re the only ghosts left!  But you…”

A tear struck their soul, and the fell to their knees in shock.

“You just came by and…  And…  Took that all away!”

Another tear, and another.  Frisk coughed and looked up at the ghost as their chest felt like it was filling with water.

Mettaton flew up beside him, his voice soothing.  “Blooky, please, it’s okay.”

Napstablook stared sadly at the ground.  “No, it isn’t okay…  I don’t want to forget anyone else…”  His tears increased in volume.  “I’m already beginning to forget that I’ve forgotten people that used to mean a lot to me…  It…  It hurts.”

Frisk tried to move their soul through the tears as they continued to fall.  They stood up shakily, stance faltering with each impact.  “Please…” they whispered hoarsely.

Mettaton continued trying to comfort the sad ghost.  “Blooky, I’ve forgotten things too.  But that doesn’t mean that I let them keep me from feeling happy.”

Frisk continued dodging, but they slumped to the ground as they couldn’t keep up with his tears.  “Please…”

Napstablook kept sobbing.  “I don’t know…  How you do it…  How…  How you stay so happy, despite…  Everything…  Everyone we’ve…”

Frisk placed their hands on the ground, closed their eyes, and shouted, “Stop!”

Napstablook was shocked out of his sadness by the shriek, and both ghosts rushed to the human’s side.

They were curled up on the ground, and had placed their hands over their ears.  “I’m sorry!  I didn’t know…  I didn’t mean to…  I’m sorry…”

Napstablook cried again, but their soul floated back into their chest.  “Oh no…  I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

Asriel rushed in.  “Frisk!”  He knelt by their side.  “Are you okay?”

Frisk nodded weakly, sitting up shakily.  They were crying.

Napstablook was in tears too.  “I hurt them....  I...  I’m sorry, I should go…”

Frisk shook their head.  “No,” they stated simply as they pulled themselves to a stand, with Asriel’s help.  When they were steady, they continued, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make you two fight...  I didn’t know that that would make them fuse.  I just...  I just wanted them to not have to feel scared about something, even if it was just a story.  I didn’t know…”  They hugged Napstablook tightly, crying.  “I didn’t know it would kill him.  I’m sorry.”

Napstablook cried into their shoulder, shivering.  He wanted to speak, but, he didn’t.

After a moment, Mettaton rested his head against Napstablook’s.  “Come on darling, let’s go finish this party.”

Napstablook nodded blankly as Frisk released him.  The four exited the house.


	16. Grillby's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A handful of plot-relevant encounters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a 40% longer chapter, on the house! Well, on the internet. But that distinction is probably unnecessary.

Chara stomped their feet in the cavern to knock the snow away from their shoes, quietly appreciating the echo as it bounced off the walls, drawing their mind to ponder some things.  From what they knew so far, probably only a few humans have ever fallen down here, meaning they were part of a small handful of humans who had ever seen these caves.  Chara ran their fingers over a glowing gem embedded in the stone, tracing its unrefined contours.  They wondered idly how much they could sell these things for if they ever escaped, and tried to pry one of the wall.  It didn’t budge, however, so they continued.

The river flowed noisily, carrying the occasional ice block floating to places unseen, as the cave split and the path wound away from the river.

Chara turned a corner and groaned.  Looked like Sans was standing behind a sentry station in the next room.  They trudge inside, ignoring the monsters on either side as they storm up to him.  “I’ve got a bone to pick with you, skeleton man.”  They place their hands on the counter.

Sans face remained unchanged from when he saw them enter the room, but he released a chuckle.  “Heya kiddo.  I’m flattered you took the time to think of a pun.”

“The pun was not a courtesy.  I’m very mad.”

“Did I do something that got under your skin?”

Chara fumed, waving their hands wildly to make their impression even more amusing.  “You’re all like, ‘look out for my brother’s blue attack.  He has a blue attack.’”  They slammed their hands on the counter.  “But then it turns out that he actually has two blue attacks.  I got hit immediately!”

Sans’s pupils flitted between Chara’s eyes, and his bottom lids lifted slightly.  “That was a really good impression, bud.”

Chara jabbed their finger into his chest.  “Listen, ‘bud,’ I don’t know what your game is, but you could at least TRY to give me useful information.”

Sans shrugged.  “Nah, it’s easier to just do nothing.”  Chara remained silent for a moment, so Sans continued, “Speaking of doing nothing, wanna go grab lunch at Grillby’s?  I have two jobs, so I have twice as many union-regulated breaks.”

They continued staring at him without the slightest desire to spend any time with the skeleton, but a stern rumble from their stomach guided their thoughts to a hunger they were not aware of.  “Sure, whatever.  Let’s just get this over with.”

Sans stared into their eyes with his unchanging smile.  “Well, if you insist…  I’ll pry myself away from my work…”

Chara narrowed their eyes at him, making a point to not break eye contact as he stepped from behind his station to their side.

He beckoned with his hand, walking away from Snowdin.  “Over here.  I know a shortcut.”

Chara followed him into the hallway, curious where they were going.

 

 

Sans looked at them.  “Fast shortcut, huh?”

Chara blinked in confusion, taking in the sight of the dimly-lit bar and the man engulfed in flames standing behind the counter who looked up as they arrived.  They opened the door to take a peek outside, to see they were back in Snowdin, inside one of the buildings they had passed.  Their anger melted slightly as curiosity took hold and they wondered how they got here.  They hadn’t walked all this way.  They returned inside, looking around at the assortment of monsters seated at the tables, recognizing Doggo, the Lesser Dog, and others they hadn’t met yet.  They were glad, too; one looked like it could bite their entire head off in a single bite.

“Hey everyone,” Sans said as he began walking towards the bar.  He paused briefly at the large table where Doggo was sitting alone, then turned around to the booths on the left.

“Greetings, Sans.”

“Hiya Sansy~”

He walked to the bar.  A fish monster asked, “Hey Sans, weren’t you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?”

“Nah, I haven’t had breakfast in at least half an hour.”  He winked.  “You must be thinking of brunch.”

Chara rolled their eyes as the bar filled with laughter.  That wasn’t even a joke, let alone funny.

He beckoned them over with a bony hand.  “What are you waiting for?”

Sighing, they followed him to the bar.

“Here, get comfy.”  He pointed to the seat next to him as he sat down.

They slipped onto the chair, shooting Sans a venomous look as the sound of farts filled the room.

“Whoops, watch where you sit down.  Sometimes wierdos put whoopee cushions on the seats.  Anyway, let’s order.  Whaddya want, fries or a burger?”

Chara’s stomach rumbled again.  “Can I have a burger with a side of fries?”

Sans glanced at the man cloaked in fire.  “Hey, that actually sounds pretty good.  Grillby, we’ll have a double order of burg with a side of fries.”

Grillby nodded and slipped out the door in the back.

“So, what do you think of my brother?”

They groaned and rested their face in their hands, covering their eyes.  “I don’t even know where to start.”

Sans’s smile creased.  “Yeah, he’s pretty great, huh?”

They put both hands down in front of them, palms in.  “No!  Like, for starters, he’s denser than a rock.  He thinks he’s so cool.  He thinks he’s good at everything.  He’s annoying.”  They shrugged as they folded their arms in front of them.  “He tries too hard to be something he’s not.”

Sans looked right at them.  “Hey, my brother’s a real star, and he just wants to be better than he is.”  He studied the countertop.  “He’s the person who pushed me to get this sentry job.  Maybe it’s a little strange, but sometimes, it’s nice to have someone call you out on being lazy.”  He looked away again, brow creasing imperceptibly.  “Even though nothing could be further from the truth.” 

Chara sighed, resting their head on their crossed arms.  “Ugh, still…  I hate when people act like they’re right no matter what.  If he asks me to be his friend again, I’m gonna flip.  Things don’t always go how you want them to.  Sometimes you gotta know when to let things go.”

Sans lifted his bottom eyelids and sighed.  “Heh.  Trust me, I hear ya on that one.”  He looked up expectantly.  “Here comes the grub.”

Grillby placed the plates on the counter in front of each of them, the burger almost falling off the plate to make room for the fries.  He gazed at Chara for a long moment, crackling slightly.

They asked him defiantly, “What are you looking at?”

The bird beside them said, “Grillby says he’s sorry about the wait.”  The fire monster nodded curtly and walked away to continue polishing a glass.

“Want some ketchup?”  Sans was holding the bottle of ketchup towards them.  When they grabbed it, he said, “Bone appetite,” with a wink.

They cleared a small place between their burger and fries, and tipped the bottle.  The cap fell off and all the ketchup spilled out onto the plate, covering both the fries and the burger’s top bun.  They held the ketchup bottle in the same position for a moment, the remnants of ketchup on the inside of the bottle adding to the mess, making no move to put it down.  Their eye twitched involuntarily.

“Whoops.”  He looked away, then back at them.  “Eh, forgeddaboudit.  You can have mine.  I’m not hungry anyway.”

Chara reached over to Sans’ plate, pulling it towards them hungrily.  They took the top bun off and rubbed it in the mess on the other plate before putting it back on and taking a big bite out of the burger.

“Anyway, it’s inspiring how Papyrus tries real hard, y’know?  Like how he keeps trying to be part of the Royal Guard.  One day, he went to the house of the head of the Royal Guard and begged her to let him be in it.  Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight.  But the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there.  Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training.”  He looked away.  “It’s, uh, still a work in progress.”

Chara polished off their burger, and began lazily dipping fries into the mess of ketchup on the other plate as they rested their head on their free hand, reveling in the way everything simply melted in their mouth.  They didn’t understand it, but they didn’t care.  It satisfied their hunger somehow anyways, and tasted amazing to boot.

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something.”  He studied the counter again.  “Have you ever heard of a talking flower?”

Chara nodded as they stuffed another fry in their mouth.  “Yeah, you can definitely say that.”

He looked away briefly.  “So you know all about it.  The echo flower.  They’re all over the marsh.  Say something to them, and they’ll repeat it over and over…”

Chara looked at him and tilted their head, putting down a French fry.

He continued, “What about it?  Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day.  Sometimes, when no one else is around, a flower appears and whispers things to him.  Flattery…  Advice…  Encouragement…”  He paused.  “…predictions.”

They turned their body to face him entirely. 

He met their gaze.  “Weird, huh?  Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him.”

Chara chuckled, shaking their head.  “If only it were that benign.”

Sans turned to face them entirely, too, with a curious look in his eyes.

“It sounds like Papyrus hasn’t told you all that much about it.”  They shuddered, remembering their encounter with the weed.  “It’s not just a flower.  It’s a full-blown demon.  A small yellow flower named Flowey.  He introduced me to how things work in the underground.  Tried to trick me with a sweet smile and a cute dance, and bullets he called ‘friendliness pellets.’  But in the end?  He almost killed me.  And he would’ve succeeded, if not for Toriel.”

Sans processed this information, his brow furrowing and eyes darkening slightly.

Chara leaned against the counter with their left arm, propping up their head, and waved a ketchup-covered French fry in his direction.  “I don’t know about echo flowers, but there’s no way this flower just repeats what it hears.  It’s a straight-up, cold-blooded murderer.”  They ate the fry whole.

Sans nodded slowly.  “That’s…  Really interesting.  Never heard of anything like that before.  Sure you aren’t just pulling my leg, kid?”

They glared into his sockets, raising an eyebrow.  “I don’t joke about nearly dying.  Would you?”

Sans shrugged, unfazed.  “I’m sure I’d still be killing it.”

Chara rolled their eyes, pushing their plate away from them.  “Whatever.  I don’t really care if you believe me.  Frankly?  It’s not my problem.”  They continued with a hint of leftover annoyance.  “The least I can do is actually try to be helpful.”

He slipped out of his chair.  “Welp, that was a long break.  I can’t believe I let ya pull me away from work for that long.”  He turned around.  “Oh, by the way, I’m flat broke.  Can you foot the bill?”

Chara reached into their pocket.  “Sure, whatever.  I was going to pay for my burger anyways.”

“Great.”  He looked away.  “It’s just 10000G.”

They froze, and glared at him again.  There was no way they’d be able to pay that.

“Ah, just kidding.  Grillby, put it on my tab.”  He walked away, but called from the door, “By the way…”  He paused for a minute, looking around.  “I was going to say something, but I forgot.  But, uh, thanks.”  And with that, he left the bar.

Chara jumped off their stool with a grunt, being careful not to make eye contact with the horrid monster to their left as they made their way to the door.

 

 

The cold air swirled around them as they stepped into the snow and turned towards the cave at the end of Snowdin.  They tried to avert their eyes from Papyrus as they passed his house, but he turned as they passed and shouted, “SO YOU CAME BACK TO SEE ME!  YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.”

Chara whipped around to face the skeleton.  “Seriously, dude?  Maybe I didn’t come back here to see you!”

Papyrus smiled wide.  “OF COURSE YOU DID, HUMAN!  WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Seriously?  Seriously!?  Chara seethed.

He put a hand to his chin in thought.  “I’LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL, A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!!!”  With that, he rushed off back towards Grillby’s.

Chara smiled and continued, intending to ditch him.

“H-HUMAN?  WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

Before Chara could say anything, Papyrus had their hand in a death grip, and was pulling them towards the bar.  They wrenched their hand away before they got too far and shouted, “Stop!”

Papyrus turned around to face them.  “ARE YOU GOING TO SUGGEST A BETTER PLACE TO HANG OUT?”

Chara’s face flushed with anger, and they spat at him, “NO!  Don’t you get it?  I don’t want to be your ‘friend.’  You’re self-centered and egotistical and a pain in the ass.”  Their anger made them sputter and shake.  “You think you’re so cool, but you aren’t.  You think everything revolves around you, but it doesn’t.  Nobody cares about how you feel.  Nobody cares how ‘cool’ you are.”

Papyrus stood with his hand on his chest.  “NYEH-HEH-HEH!  THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, HUMAN!!  MY BROTHER HAPPENS TO THINK I’M THE COOLEST!”

They laughed cruelly.  “That’s true.  But, tell me, how many other people think you’re cool?”

Papyrus smiled wide.  “LOT’S OF PEOPLE!”

“And how many friends do you have?”

“LOTS!”

They raised an eyebrow.  “Let me rephrase.  How many people do you hang out with regularly?”

Papyrus scratched his chin again.  “LET’S SEE…  THERE’S SANS, UNDYNE, THE OTHER ROYAL GUARD MEMBERS…  AND…”  His brow furrowed for a moment before he smiled, striking a pose.  “AND THERE WILL BE EVEN MORE WHEN I’M PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD!!”

They laughed again.  “Anyone else isn’t a friend, they just say you’re cool because they’re afraid to say anything else.”  They scoffed.  “As if what they say would matter anyways.  Besides, it doesn’t matter.  You said yourself, Undyne will never let you in the Guard, will she?  Much as I appreciate you not actively trying to kill me, there are some times when you should just let things go.  You clearly try to compensate for your lack of friends by inflating your own ego to the size of a blimp.  I’m surprised you haven’t floated away yet.”

He continued smiling.  “WOWIE, YOU REALLY WANT TO HELP ME BE A BETTER FRIEND, DON’T YOU?  FEAR NOT, HUMAN!!  THERE’S NOTHING I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN’T DO!!”

Their anger boiled over.  “See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about!  You only see what you want to, with no regard to any outside facts.  Well, hear this:  I don’t want to be your friend, you miserable sack of bones!  If you were the only monster in the underground, I still wouldn’t hang out with you.  Why don’t you just go home and pretend you have friends, like you apparently always do!?”  And with that, they stormed off, ignoring his cries for them to stop.

 

* * *

 

Frisk and Asriel returned to their house after spending the night over at the ghosts’ place.  As soon as they walked in, Toriel got up from her seat in the living room and hugged them, Asgore following close behind.  “Welcome back, children!  Did you have fun?”

Frisk nodded, and Asriel started describing the ghosts and how they all told stories and danced and sang together.  Frisk joined in with their tale of the scared dummy’s fusing, leaving out the bit about them getting hurt.

Toriel chuckled.  “My, it sounds like you had quite the party!” she said as she stood up.

Gerson’s voice came from the living room.  They couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.

Asgore knelt down beside his wife, and took his turn to hug them both.  At length, he stood, and took their hands, saying, “There’s someone in the next room who is very interested in meeting you, Frisk.”

Gerson’s voice caught their attention again, and they heard a new, unfamiliar voice.  It sounded like one of their old Speak & Spell toys back home.  As they turned the corner, they smiled at the new monster, who came over to greet them.

“Hi Mister!  I’m Frisk!” they said as they put their hand out in greeting, ignoring his deformed face and ill-defined body.

He smiled and grasped it firmly, squeezing their hand with his spongy mass.  “Gr͝eet̀i҉ng͝s̵,͘ Fri̸sk!̕ ͜ ͝It̷ ́i͢s ą ̕p͟leas͞ure͢ to m͏ée̶t͝ ̶you . ̀ ͞My̧͡ ǹ̴͞a͡͠m̴͠͞ȩ̶͡ ̵̸i͢s͝ ̶̧͞ G҉͢a͟s̷̡̢̛t̶́̀͘͠e͝r҉.̧̛͢͝”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... I'm moving to Arizona in week or two. So, there probably won't be a new chapter for at least that long. So, sorry to make you have to wait, even longer than I usually make you wait. Gonna leave it off on this obvious cliffhanger for a little, probably until mid-to-late May.
> 
> Again, so sorry. I'll see you then.


	17. Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk discovers what it means to be human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God. Two months. TWO FREAKING MONTHS.
> 
> My SINCEREST apology. An apology so sincere that it was pickled in sincerity, and saved for a special time just like this, when I felt overwhelmingly sorry for being gone so long. Seriously.
> 
> Two months. One and a half entire months to finish packing. Ten days of travel. And nonstop work on it since arrival in my new home, Arizona.
> 
> Okay, I say nonstop. Having this exist for two months, I kept picking at it. I'd work for five to twenty minutes at a time, then get distracted and do something else unimportant, like walk around randomly. Seriously, this chapter was hell. I'm posting this now because, really, its as good as its going to get. Otherwise I'm just gonna keep it forever.

“Okay, it’s on!”  Asriel brought his face into view, smiling.  “Hi!  I’m Asriel, and this is my friend Frisk!”  The view focused on a waving Frisk, then returned to the holder.  “Today, we’re going to show you how to make cookies!”

The camera clattered idly as Asriel stood behind it, pointing at the human, who was wearing a silly hat.

“Well, we start off with the butter and sugar, stirring it together until it’s evenly mixed.”  They added butter and sugar into a big bowl and began whipping it up by hand.  They set it down on the counter with a ‘thunk,’ wiping the exertion from their brow.  “Next, we add the eggs!”  They cracked an egg into the bowl, gently separating the shell and mixing the contents of the bowl again.  “Mix it fully after each egg.  Otherwise…”  Their faced scrunched up as they released the spoon and reached for another egg.  “I don’t really know why not, the recipes I remember always say to do that though.  Anyways!  Keep doing this, until you’ve added fiv…”

The bowl clattered to the floor loudly, spraying unfinished batter across the floor and cupboards.

Asriel walked over, letting the camera point at the tiled floor.  “Haha, looks like we’ll have to start over, huh Frisk?”

A slight sobbing can be heard.

“Frisk, are you oka—”

The film ends abruptly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Three shapes flowed through the searing heat, close against a sheer cliff face.  The tallest’s cape rippled elegantly behind him, no doubt kept flowing by convection currents in the massive volcanic cavern.  The one in the lead left a trail of mist under him as his amorphous body moved over the surface.  He kept his hands clasped behind him, gazing at the core as it neared completion.  Firmly gripping the tall one’s hand was the smallest, who looked over the edge tentatively every now and then, recoiling closer to the massive figure each time.  Together, they three made their way over the scorched path.

At length, they stopped outside of a big white building.  Two perfectly white doors slid open and Frisk dashed between them, escaping the heat and bathing themself in the recirculated laboratory air.  It was crisp, and smelled like science.

“Í s͘ee̵ y͞ou ̧l͘i̸k͜e m̵y̢ l͢a̵b͘.”

Frisk nodded, tugging their collar to move the hot air trapped under their sweater away from their body.  “I didn’t know anywhere could be so HOT.  I’ve never been so happy to be in an air-conditioned building before.”

The King nodded as well.  “It’s been a while since I’ve visited last.  You really haven’t done much with the place since then, though.”

Gaster smiled idly.  “I͞ don̸’͘t n̛e͠e̶d ́t̀ŕi̵n̡kęt̸s̶. I̵ al͜r͏e͝àdy̷ ̛fe̶e̷l͝ ̛a͢ţ ͜h̡ome̡ ̴her҉e ̛w̢ith͏o̧u͝t̴ ͜s͠uc̵h a͝ t̛a҉c͡ky͘ d͡i͠s҉p҉lay of ̶ind͠i҉vìdu̢a͟li͞ty.̛”

Frisk looked up at the doctor.  “Is this where we were going?”

With a shake of his head, Gaster replied.  “Not ̢q̨u͟ite ́ye͢t. ̛ F͠o҉ll̀͘͟ơ̵̷w ̷̸͝m͏è̴͠ ̧͘d̕o̶̶w̛͝nştà҉i̵̛r̷̸s̷̀͜.”  With a glance at Asgore, and a twinkle in his eye, he added, “Y̴o̧u̕ ̵t̀oo͠,̕ F̸lu̸f͠fy͘bun͠s.͘”  He guided the child to the elevator on the main floor, Asgore following with a huff.  At the push of a button, the door slid closed and the elevator descended.  They reached the bottom with no problem.

The walls here were a blinding white, starkly contrasting against Gaster’s amorphous form as he led them around corners and through doors.  Finally, they entered a room with many beds.  With a show, Frisk flopped onto one, while Gaster pulled a stainless steel table away from the corner.  Tools littered the top surface, and they shifted with a clatter as he brought it to a stop next to a chair.

“Ov͘er hęr̷e,̴ ̴Frisk̨.”

They jumped off the mattress and ran over to his chair, slipping into it without a word.

“Ì ͡a͘m g̷oi̴n̛g ͟to̴ ̶summ͏on̕ your͘ soul̵. ͞ So̶m̸e̛ ͢o̧f̀ ̢the̷ ̸tests̵ ̢Į w̢ill ̷pe̶r͜f҉o͜r͠m w̸il̸l ͜b̨ę paiǹful.̢ Pl̵e͟ase ͡do ͜no̢t be͞ ̀aļa͠r̢m͢e͝d̨,̶ ̀a̸s t͟hey ͜arę fo̢r̛ ͝yo͜ur ̶be̷n̨efit.”

Frisk gazed at him inquisitively.  “So…  You’re like a dentist?”

“W͠h̵at’s̢ ̢ţh̀a͠t̡?̵” Gaster inquired as he arranged the tools on the tray.

“It’s a doctor that looks in your mouth and pulls out teeth when they go bad.”

The Doctor unconsciously rubbed the edge of his mouth.  “Th͟at’͠s̢ ͘not̛ re͡ally͟ a͟ ̶th̢i͡n͜g͢ ̵is it?̕”

Frisk smiled and nodded.  “Yep.  Kings have died because they left teeth in that made them sick.  Dentists remove those bad teeth.”

Asgore rubbed his cheek.  “And…  It’s painful?”

Frisk nodded gravely.  “I’ve never been to one personally, but everyone says it is.  They have medicine, but it doesn’t dull all of the pain.”

The doctor thoughtfully said, “But̕ t͟hes̛e̕ ͡m̨en͡ are ͠obvi͝ou͠sly̴ ̵nec͘ess͠áry̧ for͘ ̨hum̢a̸n s̀u͞rv͠i̵v̛a͠l̀. I͞ ele͝çt̛ t̶hat̵ ̷we ̀k͟ee͞p an̛ e̴ye óņ ͝Fri͝s̶k͠’s̡ dénta̸l h́eàl͝t͢h͟ c̶o͡ntin͠u̵i̴n͡g i̶n͘t̴o͞ ͜th̵e̸ fut̢u͟re͡.”

The King nodded curtly.  “If it really is as serious as Frisk says it is, we should be careful.  Proactive, even.”

“I mean, you d-don’t have to start making plans or anything!”  They rubbed the back of their head and smiled uneasily.  “Really, with the magic from monster food, I bet my teeth will be cleaner than ever!”

The adults shared a glance.  At length, Asgore shrugged and smiled.  “Anyways, yes.  Just think of it like a visit to the dentist.”

“Ẁh̸ile͠ ҉we͠ ͝w͘i͝l̕ĺ ͡not ͠be ҉p͠u҉ll͢i̶ņg ou̴t͢ ͡your̶ ͢t̕ȩe͜t̵h͜…͞” Gaster spat the final word, his mass jiggling with a shiver.  “…͞Yǫu̴ ͞w͟il̵l be͞ i̢n ̡a̧ ҉g͠reàt d̷eal o̷f p͢h̢ýsic̢a̕l ͝p̧a̴in̷.”

Asgore put his hand on the child’s shoulder.  “We’re teaching you an important lesson.  Doctor Gaster found the reason why humans defeated monsters many years ago.”  He squinted.  “At a very large cost, of course.”

The doctor bowed his head.  “Ye͘s… R͞e͞ally̷, I̵ ͜d͠on’͏t͢ k͞n͞ow͘ ̢wh̷a͝t ͘I̛ ̢expected t͏o hap̸p̕en̛. ̵A͢n͏d ̡you k̶n͝o̵w̡ i̕t won͞’͡t͝ ́h͟app̢en a̷g̨ain.”

Asgore nodded, turning back to the child.  “This is to increase your defense against magic attacks.”

Frisk looked between them curiously, but decided to focus on things closer at hand.  “So it’s gonna hurt a lot, but it’s to help me?”

Gaster nodded.  “Ex̸act͡ly̧.̨”

 They nodded resolutely and eased into the seat.  While they were scared, it was comforting to have someone looking out for them.  “Well, go ahead, I don’t mind.”

The soul formed in front of them.  Gaster visually looked it up and down before picking up a set of calipers.  Gently he measured its thickness, width, and height from point to crease, jotting down notes.  Putting the instrument down, he began feeling the elasticity of the soul.  He squeezed it, tugged it, and poked it, Frisk giggling lightly with a tickling feeling at every prod.

Gaster looked at them, his smile creasing briefly against his drooping eye as he picked up another instrument.  “Ple̡as̶e,͠ t͘r̷y҉ t̴o̶ ̸rem͘a̢i͏n ̶s҉till.͏”  He tapped their soul hard with a tiny hammer, and Frisk jumped a little.

“Sorry,” they muttered feebly.

He chuckled softly as he put the hammer down, reaching quickly for another tool.  “I͏t̛’̨s͡ o̷ka̡y̨, ͏I w͜as ͝j̴ud͡gi̴ng͘ you͝r ̴refl͟éx̛es͞. ̴ ̶If ͢yo͏u ̕had ͟mòv͜ed̡ on ̕y̡o̢ur own,͘ I̛ w̸òul͢d͞ háv̷e g̀ot͢t͞e͡n a ͠b̴a͜d re͜sul͟t.”

Frisk nodded in understanding, and relaxed into the seat again.

His smile disappeared, leaving behind the smirk chiseled onto his features.  “You ̛w͝il̡l proba̡b̵l̶y ҉f̴éel͏ ͠a͠ ́s͜h̴a͞rp͜ paįn̡ ͘f͟r̀om ͡t͝h͞i̵s n̸e̛x̸t ̡te͞st.́ ͞ D͏o͞ ̕n̕ót ̷be̛ ̶al͡arm͘e҉d.”  Before Frisk had a chance to object, he punctured their soul’s left lobe at the top with a syringe.

Frisk gasped for breath, holding their shoulder.  They tried to bring their soul close to them, but it didn’t move an inch.  It felt worse than any blood tests they had gotten back on the surface.  Like someone was sucking the marrow out of their bones.

Gaster pulled away the syringe, and looked at the bright gold fluid shining through the glass.  He put it to the side, saying, “Fr̛i̢şk, ͟y͠ouŕ ҉s͜o͞u̵l ̷is the h͢e͜alth͜ie̸s̡t̵ and ̷p͘ur͠e̸st I’ve͜ ͠ever̸ s҉éen!”

They smiled a little.  “Thank you.”

He turned to Asgore.  “Y͠ou̸r̀ ̛M͜ajest͞y,͢ ̧I ͠w̸ould͡ f̴e̷el͢ m̸úc̢h̸ ͠m̀ǫre comfo̷rt͞ábl͡e̸ ̶pe҉rformín̡g̷ t͏he͡ finaļ te͘st͝ ̧if̧ y̶ou ͡w̴e҉re n͘o͡t̵ h̷e̕re̢.̶ ͝ I’̧m ̨su̵r͞e̷ ỳo̵u’͢l͝l uǹder̡stan͏d.̕”

The King sighed deeply.  “Of course.  Frisk…”  He rested a heavy hand on Frisk’s shoulder, who looked up at him as best they could over the back of the chair.  Looking into their eyes, he told them, “This next test is very dangerous.  I’ll be right outside so there isn’t interference.  When you are done in here, I will be waiting for you.”  He squeezed gently, and added, “Just stay determined.”

With a curt nod and a smile, Frisk said, “Thanks Dad.” 

He left his hand on their shoulder for a few more moments.  Then, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Ar͏e̷ ̧y҉o̴u͞ ŕeądy?̸” Gaster inquired at length.

Knowing that there was somebody who loved them waiting for them to return filled them with determination.  Frisk nodded bravely, sitting straight in their chair again.

“H̶uman͜.̴ ͡I͟ am ͘g̸o͝in͞g ͘to̕ p̧e͞rfo̵r͜m ́t̡hę ͟next ͏teşt̕.͡ ͢ Pl̨eásę ̕şt̨a̡ý aw͜a̕k̨e̛, ͘an̵d͞ tel̨l̸ ̴m͟e͜ no̡w if ͡y͟ou do n͞ot́ wish to͡ ̡çon͡t̡in͏u͘e͠.҉”

Gaster summoned a skull, which hovered for a moment before firing, straight and true, onto Frisk’s exposed soul.  In an instant, they were dead, the shock unregistered on their limp form.

 

* * *

 

 Chara opened the box.  1 tough glove, its neon hue burning into their eyes, 1 monster candy sitting on top of that, and 1 cinnamon bunny resting beside both of them.  They stuffed the candy in their pocket, and held the cinnamon bunny.  They wanted to keep food on them now that they knew about its properties, but they were debating how to store this bunny.  At length, they stuffed it into their pocket.  If they needed a boost later, they would scoop out the crumbs.

With that, they crossed the river, avoiding the stones threatening to catch them and sweep them off the edge with ease.

The next room was very dark.  Chara saw their shadow splayed across the tall grass growing on the path.  They pushed it aside and stepped in, freezing as soon as they realized they weren’t alone.

“H... HI, UNDYNE!  I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT…  UHHH…  REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…”

Chara scowled.  Sounded like Papyrus was ratting them out.  They hoped whoever he spoke to hadn’t heard the grass rustle.

“HUH?  DID I FIGHT THEM?”  His voice wavered a little.  “WELL, UH, YES.  YES I DID.  BUT UH…”  He cut off his sentence, and Chara strained to hear any voice other than his.  However, his superior spoke so softly that Chara couldn’t hear what was being said from where they crouched.

“DID I CAPTURE THEM…?” Papyrus inquired loudly.

They let a smile touch their lips.  Any doubt as to what the monsters were talking about, if there even was any to begin with, was dispelled at his casual normal-speaking-level of shouting constantly and repeating everything he hears.  They found themself feeling a moment of gratitude for the stupid skeleton.

He continued, “W-W-WELL…”  He paused.  “NO.  I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END, I FAILED.”

Chara wished they could see his face.  They also, completely unrelatedly, wished they had a camera.

“N-NO, THAT’S NOT WHERE I GOT THIS SCRATCH FROM…  UM…”  He faltered.  “W-WHAT?  YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN’S SOUL YOURSELF?  BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON’T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM, YOU SEE…  YOU SEE…”

There was a palpable silence that hung in the air.  Chara wondered what was being said to make him pause for so long.

Finally, he spoke.  “I UNDERSTAND.  I-I’LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN.

They nodded absently as the sounds of echoing steps faded.  In the end, Papyrus buckled to his superior.  Moreover, his superior sounded absolutely frightening.  They made a note to be as stealthy as possible, as they pushed the grass aside with a rustle and took a step.

Suddenly, thundering footsteps echoed from the ledge, and Chara froze as they realized that they hadn’t heard the other monster leave, regretting thinking the coast was clear.

Chara looked up slowly, silently gazing at the monster in armor pointing a glowing spear directly at them, every muscle in their body tensing in preparation to run when it was thrown.  But, at length, the helmet turned.  First left, then right, then disappearing behind the edge of the cliff.  They remained still for a minute, but they heard nothing else, not even the sound of footsteps leaving.

They shook the grass purposefully, waiting for a reaction that didn’t come.  Slowly, they walked out, wincing as it brushed against their body with a racket.  The overwhelming feeling that they were safe did nothing to dispel their intent to be careful.  After a moment, they were out of the thick underbrush.

Another rustle made them stop, and footsteps padded up to them softly.  “Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you…?”

They turned around to see Monster Kid staring at them, eyes wide in awe.  “That…  Was AWESOME!”  He squealed.  “I’m SOOOO jealous!  What’d you do to get her attention?  Ha ha!”

Chara frowned.  “You have no idea.”

 “C’mon, let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!”  The kid turned to leave, but he tripped, landing face-first on the ground.

They couldn’t help but smile as the armless lizard leapt back onto his feet, watching as he ran away.  Soon, however, the overheard conversation came back to their attention, a sense of dread accompanying it.  Up until now, they had only dealt with imbeciles and misplaced aggression.  But now, it seemed, there was someone actively hunting them with the intent to kill.

That feeling of dread hung heavy over them.  But the knowledge that they could still win, even if they died, filled them with determination.

 

* * *

 

 “H͠u͡m͏a͝n҉.͝ I am̧ goin͜g ̷t҉o ̕perfo͠r͘m̧ ͜the ͡n͠ex͏t t͢e̸s͞t̀. ͟ P̛leas͝e̛ st͡a҉y aw̸ak̕e,͝ a͢n̶d ̨te̸ll̸ m̸e͝ ҉now̧ ҉i̸f̧ y̵ou ͘d͞o not͏ ͠w̸is͜h ̛t̸o ̀co̴n͟tįńue͟.”

Gaster summoned a skull, which hovered for a moment before…

“STOP!”  Frisk curled up in their chair.

“The ̛t̶est̴ ́was͏ suc͝ces͝s͡fu͠l.”  The skull crumbled.

They sobbed quietly for a minute.  Finally, Gaster stooped down to eye level with them.  “Í’m҉ ͘sor̶ry ̴Fris̨k. Bu҉t yơų c͘e̷rta͞inly u͠ņders͠t̡and ̀n̨o̴w͢ wh͟y ̢mon͞st͟eŕk͠ińd ̢lost ̧the ͝wa͟r͘.͝”

They glared at him, wetness making their eyes sparkle.  “I don’t understand anything!  I felt like I was dying!”

Gaster smiled.  “F̨ri͘sķ,͞ doń’͢t ̀y̶óu un̨derst̡a҉nd̛?͟ ̷ ͟Y͝o̕u ҉DID ̨d̕ie͢. ̵ W̛h̴i͜le ͡I͡ don’҉t͟ re̵mem̡b́er͢ ͡i̵t̷,̕ y͡ou ̨s͏till̕ ͞experien͡ced ̨i͡t͞. ͟ ̵F̸rom my͡ ͝p̷ersp͞e͏cti̛v͢e, I̵ h҉a͏v̸e͠ ̕no̴t͢ ͡e̶v̨en f͝ired a͜ si̷ngl̨e͏ ́s͟hot͝.”

They looked at him in mild disbelief.  “I died three times?”

He blinked.  “I̶ don’͝t͞ ͡k̡n̶ow ̸h̨ow ̶m̕an͢y̶ t̛i͘m̶es you҉ d͜i̧e̸d. ̸ Al͡t̷houg͝h̵, ̶if ̵that͠ ̧i̕s ̡th̵e͡ ̕ca͞se, ̧I w͘i͡s͡h̶ you͞ ̨ha̴d ͘śaiḑ ̕som̴e͢th̷i҉n̨g soo̴ńer̵.”  He nodded, continuing, “But ͟y̡es, yóu͝ d͡id҉ d͏ie̵.͟ An͜d y͠o̴u̕ c͏a̧m̵e̕ ͢ba͡ck͠. That̵ ís th̸e p̕owèr ̷o҉f͘ h̛uma҉n͝s.̶ ͞ ͟T̸h͢a͝ţ i͏s w͡h҉y͠ ̡w̷e͟ ̛lost͠.”

Frisk wiped their eyes with their sleeve.  “Even though they couldn’t die, the humans still trapped you all down here?”

A pause.  “Ye҉s̨.̡”

A scowl.  “That’s so mean!  If I could go back and change mistakes, I wouldn’t let that happen!” they declared.

He shook his head slowly.  “It̛ wa҉s s͝omet̨h̵i̧ng̴ ̡e̡ven̕ ͜th̡ey c̸ou͏l͝d͏ ͜n͢ot ͜p̷r̶ev̶e̵n͘t͝ thaţ ̡s̛pa͝rked ́t̀ḩe͡ ̷war.͠ ̸ I͟t ̴wa͟s̛ r̵e̵gre̷tt̵a͏bl͟e,̵ but͡…́ ͜ ͟It is ͘w͝h͞at i̵t ͟is.͝ **”**

Frisk sat for a moment, silent.

After a moment of fumbling, he produced a chain.  “T̴ak͠e ͘t͡hi͟s. I͘t ̡is a̷ m̶a͞gi̢cal̵ ̵am̢u͢le̷t ҉g̷i̡v̛en̛ ̧t̸o̢ ͢m͠e͘ by ̨a҉n a̢ncie̸nt ͞cl͠erìc̷ ̶of th̕e ̕ơld͏ ͟w͏o̴r҉ld̵.͠ It̨ i̡s҉ of ̷n̛ó ̴u̵s҉e͘ t͜ò m͟ę ̢a͢s I c̵a͜nnot ơpe͜n̵ ̶it̛, nor d͏o̢ I̡ hav̶e͢ ̡an̡y҉thi̛ng ͢t̨o͟ s̀t͜or̛e wi̛t͞h̨in͝ ͝it͝.”

Frisk took it gingerly.  It was a golden locket, the pendant a heart with a tiny door on it.  Gaster looked on with amazement as they picked at the seam, effortlessly opening the chamber with a snap.  Finding nothing inside, they closed it and put it around their neck.  “An ancient artifact?  What does it do?”

“It ̢pro͘t̀e͘cts̶ yòu͢r ̶sou͘l fr̷o̢m ̵mąg̛įc̢al̛ ͘attąck̶s̶. ҉A͡nyt̡hing͢ ͠th̨a̷t ̧hit̸s ̕y̢ou͟r͜ ̢sou̧l ͢whíl͘e ̷w̕earing ̢thi͡s̕ w̨il͜l̀ ̵hu̸rt ̴a͟ lot͡ ͘l͞ess͝.̶”

They looked up at him.  “Wow.  Really?”

He nodded, smile fading.  “Yȩs.́ A͡llo͞w ̡m̧e͜ to̸ demo̕n͟stra̷t͏e҉.”  He summoned another skull.  “Thi͘s͡ ͝i͞s̨ ve̷ry imp͝o̷rta̡nt. ͠ R͞ely ̡o͠n̸ ̨th͝e̢ pen͠dant to give ̧y͢o͜u p͏roţèct̕io̷n.̕ ҉ ͢If̨ y͠o̡u͏ ̧do̷ ͢it r͠ight, ̧yo̵u̢ w̨o͟n̴’t ̛tak͠e a̴n̛y͏ dam̨age͢.”  With that, he fired at them.

Their soul throbbed, but even after sustained fire for three seconds, they did not die.  When they opened their eyes, Frisk gazed at the pendant in fascination.  “It’s magical?”

Gaster smiled.  “M̡ǫre͢ or le͡s͢s.̨ ͟I͢ts̕ ͞c̵urre͢n͘t̸ ̧ençh̡ant̵men̶t͟ i͝s m̨oŗe ͜mun̕d͘ane.͞”

They looked up at him.  “Where is it from?”

“I ̨g̢ot͟ ̸i͜t͟ m̵any̢ ͞y̵ear̶s ago̡, fr͡om̕ ̀an ͏o͘l͠d͟ hu̕ma͢n̕ ͢òn͏ th͜ę s͘u͏r҉f̵ącè.̡ ͞A͞ ͝gi̶f̵t̕ f͘ro͞m an ͝i͟nf͘luen͢t͜i̡al̢ ͜wo͢m̛a̡n, ̵an h͠e҉i̸rl͜oo̵m wit҉h no ̷h̨e̵ir ̴un͏to͢ ͢whom͘ i̧t̸ ̵coųl̕d͟ ͠b͝ę best́o̕w̕ed͞. ̸ ̛I͞ ̧w̴a͘s ̴a ̴c͢hild ͞at҉ ͟t̵he ҉tim̴e͞,͞ a͞nd͢ a ̶l͜ong-t͘ime͢ ҉f͢ri͝en͡d of the fa͞m̸ily.͟ ́W͠ith ͘h̨er d̕yi̵n̷g̶ ̧bŕea͜th, ̡she ̶p̶as͞s̢e͝d ̴i͠t̛ on to̢ ̀m̕e̢, ̴w̨ith the͢ h̵op̴e t̸h͠at͝ ̨I mi͝ght͠ ͢on͢e̶ d̶ay҉ p̕aşs ̷i̵t ͠to my childr̛eń.”

Frisk shook their head and undid the clasp, saying, “I couldn’t possibly take something so important.”

He waved his hand dismissively.  “It͘ ͝wąs͏ ̶a ̢kínd ͜g̸estur͢e,͘ ̨a͡nd a valu͜àbl͏e̶ ͡item. ̴ B̡u͟t̕,̴ ̀I hav̛e n̷o ̷u͘s̀e foŕ ̴i̷t.͏ ̶ ̧I̵ ̸havé nơ ͠s̵o͢ns t̶o p̸a̸s̷s it ͏on t̢o҉,͡ ͏an̴d̡ I’̧m̛ incapa͜bl͜e ̵ơf͝ ͠usi̧n҉g̕ it l͞i͟k͞e y͠o͝u ca͠n.̛ It͘ ̴w̛ill ҉b̕e͘ fa̵r͠ ͞more úsefųl̨ ͢in̶ ̕y̶o̕u͏ŗ c͏are t͘han it́ eve̶r c͏ould͡ ̀be̴ i͘n ̛mi͢n͢e.̕  S̵o ̨ple̡a͘se͠,̵ take̸ i̧t.”

They looked at it with a sort of reverence.  Slowly they fastened it again, tugging at it until the heart hung at its lowest point.  A tear formed, and they blinked it away as they burst out of their chair to give him a hug.  “Thank you, Mr. Gaster.  I’ll treasure it always!”

He stood for a moment, taken aback.  He did nothing until they stepped back and looked him in the eyes again.

“So, how does it work?”

“Do you real͘ly͠ wa͢nt to̕ kno̵w̡?”

They nodded eagerly.

“I̴tem͟s̵ ca̕n ̛ģiv҉e̢ ̛you͘ pro͟t͞ecti̶o̸n͝ ̨fro̴m̧ ̧magic̢ ҉at̡tac̀k̢s ̴simp̷l͘y by ho̕w ̕mu̴ch ̸you͞ ̸b͜ȩl͠ie͘ve ̸in̷ thei̷r ̵ab̛il͢i̷ty͝ ̛ţo prot̨ec͠t͞ ͞y̧o͏ù. ̀Yoų c͝o͜ul҉d̨ h͢ave͟ a ͟fļo̴wer i̛n҉ you̸r ̕h́a̸iŕ a͘nd,̸ if y͞o͏u͏ ̛b͞el̶i̕e̸ved͠ th̨at ͝i͏t w͢a͜s capab͏l͡e̢ ̸o͠f n͝eutra̢l̸izing ma̷g͞ic a͠ttacḱs̴,͞ ͡t̶h̷en͜ ͟i̵t ̡woưld ͢g҉a̵i̡n̢ t҉h̨a̶t abilit̛y.”

Understanding crossed their face.  “So if I thought that my sweater was made of magic-proof wool, I could repel attacks easier?”

“Ex͝ac͟t̶l͡y͝.”

“So what else can I do to stay safe?”

“Well,͏ ̧the͠re͝’s̢ ͘a ͟b̶u̷n̕ch͜ ͞o͝f͞ l̕itt̕l̷e̷ ̨t͘hin̡g̨s̷ ̢I ̕ca͘n͠ ͠s̨h̕ow ̨y͏òu.̡”

They clapped their hands.  “Show me everything!”

Gaster smiled.  “I̡’́d ͜b̕e͜ ̀ha̶p̢p̕y to̡.̡”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! And remember, this story will not die. Even if it causes me great physical and mental discomfort to force myself to write it.
> 
> I will stay determined.


	18. A Jarring Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara continues through the Underground. Peril lurks in every shadow, and a mystery, that nobody thought was a mystery, is cast in the light of investigation and intrigue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike the last two chapters (which were each 3000+ words), this one is back to the 2000 word format. Sorry for brevity, but its either brevity quicker or substance at greater intervals. Not to mention, writing long chapters is hard when focusing on one character. Where do you cut? Where do you start? How much do you include? How much can they forgive you for cutting out bits that you deem unimportant?

Chara startled as their soul formed in front of them while they walked, stopping to see Aaron flexing out of the shadows.

They tried to get past him, but he obnoxiously blocked their path.  They stomped their foot and shouted, “Get out of my way!”

Aaron smiled, saying slyly, “Wow.  Spunky.  I love it.”  Then, with a wink, he began posing, putting one arm forward and flexing it, paying no mind to their soul that floated between them.

Chara felt their limbs suddenly become exhausted as his rippling mass made contact with their soul once, then again with the other arm.  He didn’t stop flexing, but Chara quickly fell into a rhythm to dodge the guns.  “Back off, man.  I’m not kidding here!” they shouted.

“Feisty, huh?” Aaron said, admiring his own muscles.  He winked again, then flexed, and again they dodged, failing only once.

“I’m not going to tell you again.  Get out of my way,” Chara growled, pulling the knife from their pocket.

The floating seahorse smiled and winked, scooping a handful of water from the pool beside him and splashing them with it.  “No need for a swimming suit,” he said wryly.  In a flash, he was posing again, but he wiped his brow, flicking the sweat onto the ground.  He kept sweating bullets, and Chara’s face paled as he began to do so literally, each bead standing off his skin and flying towards their soul.

Nimbly, they avoided all of them, ignoring the smell of a mussel farm that assaulted their nose.  When the storm was over, they smirked, saying, “You’ll regret not moving.”  With that, they brought their knife across one of his biceps.

Aaron smiled and winked again.  “You’ll change your mind,” he said smugly as he flexed even harder.  But, when he was done, his muscles drooped comically.

Chara smiled.  Then laughed.  It was funny, really.  “You are so disgusting.  I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

Aaron’s smile faded a little, but he kept the pose.  “What?”

They smiled wider, glaring at him from under their bangs.  “You’re in my way, and I’m trying to get somewhere.”  They ran their fingers along the blade.  “I bet it’ll take one more hit to turn you to dust.”

He winked, but his smile was gone.

They walked towards him, and ran the knife along the contours of his 12-pack.  “It’s a shame, really.  That you’re going to die because you don’t know when to TAKE A HINT.”  They let their voice raise, then grabbed him by the mane and yanked him down to eye level, pointing the knife at his face.  He winked nervously, and they tightened their grip, shaking him slightly.  “Yet still you try to flirt with me?  You make me sick.”

He shivered, and mumbled, “These are winks of fear.”  He winked again.

They pulled him even closer, until they were nose to nose.  “You’re afraid, huh?”  They put their head back and laughed as loud as possible.  At length, they looked him in the eyes again, relishing how each sparkled in horror.  They ran the tip of their knife down the center line of his snout.  “That’s good.  I like it when people know who’s in charge.”  They winked at him, and his face paled even further.  “Consider this your punishment for being creepy, you disgusting seahorse.”  With that, they raised their knife above their head.

“Please…  Stop…  I’ll never creep again.”  He wimpered, winking feebly.

Their smile faded slightly.  “You really mean it?” they said as they tilted their head.  Their smiled returned quickly, though.  “I don’t think you do.”

“No really!  I mean it!”  He said with another wink.

They paused for a moment, wondering if someone like him could really mean it.  With a shrug, they pushed him back and, with a grunt, brought the knife down with all their might.  They let their grip on it weaken so it slipped from their hand mid-swing, and it embedded itself hilt deep into the soft muddy soil directly in front of him.  They jabbed him hard in the chest with a finger, squinting.  “This is your only chance.  I don’t want to see you again, you hear me?”

He nodded profusely, winking.  “N-No problem.  Thank you.”  And just like that, he was gone.

They reached down, smiling as they picked up 20 gold which had been carelessly dropped in his haste to flee.  Then, they pulled their blade from the ground, wiping it clean on the back of their sweater before slipping it back into their pocket.

Chara picked up a bridge seed, and analyzed the riverbanks before setting it floating, then three others, crossing to the other side when they sprouted.  They were about to step through the door when their phone rang.

They looked down in surprise, reaching into their pocket and pulling it out.  They had not given their number out, and they sure as heck didn’t recognize the number.  It rang seven times before they sighed and flipped it open, placing the receiver tight against their ear.  “Hello?”

They instantly regretted it as the speaker blared with a grating voice.  “HELLO!  THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!”

Slowly they brought it closer to their ear again.  Annoyance dripping from every word, they asked, “How did you get my number?”

“IT WAS EASY!  I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!!!  NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!”

They rubbed their forehead with their free hand, slicking their hair back a little.  Their bangs fell back over their face quickly, though.  “You’re an idiot.  Didn’t I make it VERY clear that I didn’t want you to talk to me?”

“WELL, YES, BUT…”

They cut him off.  “No.  No ‘buts.’  Or ‘howevers’ or exceptions of any kind, for that matter.  Don’t call me back unless you are, somehow, MIRACULOUSLY helpful.  Goodbye.”

“WAIT!!  WHAT AR—”

They shut the phone and dropped it into their pocket before continuing, shaking their head.

The next room contained a plaque on the wall, which they looked at first.  In big, bold letters, it read ‘WISHING ROOM.’  They looked around, their gaze settling on a bright blue flower, gently swaying in an unfelt breeze.  Tentaively, they reached out to touch it, recoiling when the petals began to shake.  A voice came from it, eerily hushed.

“A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky.  If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true.  Now all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling.”

They looked up at the gems on the ceiling, sparkling brightly against the dark backdrop, feeling a brief pang of disappointment.  They had lived in the city their entire life, and, aside from the brightest ones that somehow shone behind the city lights, they had never seen any stars.  They smiled.  Somehow, monsters had better stars than the humans, even if they were just shiny crystals deep underground.

They brushed their fingers along another echo flower as they walked past it, its petals quivering as it stated, “Thousands of people wishing together can’t be wrong!  The king will prove that.”  Another small smile.  If only wishes came true.  They wouldn’t be here otherwise.

Then, something shuffled over.  With a groan, they faced it as their soul formed again.

Woshua.  That was its name.  Not that it mattered.  With a grunt, they kicked it over, its water tank sloshing around as its face skidded along the mud.  In a frenzy, it stood back up, and began to spray itself in the face with its magic.  Their soul slipped back into its rightful place and they left it to do its thing.

The next few minutes were spent looking around the room for an exit of some sort.   Finding none, they sighed and looked through the telescope, kicking themself for not realizing how uncommon it is to have a telescope in a cave, and how obvious of a clue it should have been.  They tapped on the wall to the north, and it slid open.

Through the door was a dock.  On the far wall were plaques, arranged in a line.  They walked up to the first one and squinted hard.  The letters were all faded, but it was English.  After a moment, they could read it.

‘The War of Humans and Monsters.’

They took a step back.  So it was a war that had resulted in them living their entire lives in a dark cavern?  Quickly, they turned to the next.

‘Why did the humans attack?  Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear.  Humans are unbelievably strong.  It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul.’

So the humans had struck the first blow, while the monsters were helpless.  No wonder they found it so easy to kill them.  Eagerly they moved on to the next plaque.

‘But humans have one weakness.  Ironically, it is the strength of their soul.  Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death.’

‘If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul.  A monster with a human soul…  A horrible beast with unfathomable power.’

They smirked a little as they processed this information.  Typical humans, punishing those they feared.  They found it comforting that they could transcend that, and seek to punish those they hated.  A single chuckle escaped their throat, the paroxysm masked by the gentle lapping of waves against the dock.  It had been so long since they felt fear.  Well…  Before they met that flower.  Even now, though they felt an anxiety weighing them down, they were not scared.

It was obvious now.  Why they had been attacked so much since they arrived.  They want a human soul so they can enact their vengeance on humanity.

They looked at the last plaque.  It was an illustration of some sort, depicting a strange creature, and they stood in awe for a moment as they admired it.  But, awe gave way to trepidation.  Something about this drawing was incredibly unsettling.  Yet, they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

Regardless, they had their own vengeance to enact.  And damn it if they were going to let some weak monsters ruin their plans.  They continued on, more determined than ever.  A small platform carried them across a river to a distant pier.

Their shadow played before them, cast far by the lack of lights in this part of the cave.  Slowly, they made their way forward, the boards on the dock creaking beneath them as they looked around.  An eerie place.  It’d be the perfect place for an ambu—

Their soul formed in front of them, and, eyes widening, they stopped short and brought it close to them.  Not a moment too soon, as a spear fell from above them and lodged itself in the wood, splintering slightly.

Footsteps.  They glanced to their left.

An eye gleamed at them from the darkness.  It stepped forward into the light, revealing its shiny armor.  The two stared at each other for a tense moment.

At length, it spoke, its grating voice echoing among the columns.

“Hehe.  Ha ha ha.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Haha, Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Chara’s body tensed at the laughter.  There was no way this would end well.

The monster threw back its head and let out a hearty roar.  “NGAAAAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!”

And, with that, spears began to rain behind them, each materializing and flying into the mildewed wood with a deafening crash, sending splinters everywhere with each impact.  In an instant, they were running as fast as they could, barely keeping ahead of the onslaught.

They could see the masked monster to their left—keeping speed with them and not ceasing to laugh as wave after wave of spears mercilessly reduced the bridge under their feet to a pulp.  Literally.  It was all they could do to keep their soul from getting struck as the spears targeted it, sometimes phasing through their body with no harm, and sometimes impacting their soul, tripping them slightly and forcing them to concentrate even more on dodging and running.

For some reason, they were convinced that no other human that had ever fallen down here had been subject to such a disconcerting experience.  There was no way that the full destruction of a bridge was normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was kind of a pain figuring out how much I wanted to include in this chapter. I'm confident I struck a good balance, while still steadily diverging from canon events.


	19. Lost and Ignorant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Advice is not taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, its not dead guys. The thing I was originally going to write for Frisk just wasnt the right time for it, and I couldn't figure out how to write the other things I had in the sidelines. So, have this.

Damp cloth left a trail of moisture behind the children as they walked through the ruins, a soggy rope of sweaters, shirts, pants, and blankets being dragged behind them.  The soft scraping of dirt whispered around them as the stick at its end cut a small rut into the ground.  The two walked wordlessly, step for step, shoulder to shoulder.  The rope was slung over the human’s back, leaving a small, dirty stain on their sweater.  A grimy hand wiped sweat from their brow.

At length, the silence was broken.  “You uh…  Really want to do this, huh?”

The pair carried on, the silence as heavy as ever.

Receiving no answer, he spoke up again.  “Frisk…”

They looked at him with a tiny smile.  “I have to try.  I have to know if we can free everyone from the other side.”

Asriel wrung his paws nervously.  “I just…  Don’t want to lose you.”

They looked back to the path ahead of them, but the smile stayed on their face.  “I’ll be okay.  WE’LL be okay.  Just trust me.”

The silence stretched long again, the human’s conviction doing nothing to assuage the fear in his heart.  They had talked about this for weeks, but…  Here they were.  The search for the fabric was fruitful, if a little smelly; waterfall was not the cleanest place, but it was a treasure trove of trash.  He winced as he remembered when he first found them.  Legs at odd angles, blood leaking…  He shivered as he recounted his journey carrying their limp, broken frame from the ruins to New Home.  He would gladly do it again, but he would rather not see Frisk’s body like that again.

Yet, he felt a spark of admiration.  Frisk had heard his pleas, and been careful about minimizing the risk to them during their climb.  They had made loops in the rope to serve as footholds, even though it meant they needed to find more clothes to reach the necessary length.  They had packed a bag of pies in case they did become injured.  They had even made extra sure to tie the knot tight so it wouldn’t slip.  Every fear of Asriel’s was very carefully considered, and they quickly came up with a plan to counter each.  But still, Asriel worried, though he could not add words to this fear.

At length, they entered the vast cavern, Frisk running their fingers over the worn pillars sitting in the shadows, before turning their gaze upwards.  “It’s much farther up than I remember…” they said with a note of wonder in their voice.

He grew queasy as his imagination ran wild, and he wanted to, yet again, try to convince them to turn around.

With a heave, Frisk threw the rope towards the hole in the ceiling, but it fell short, barely making it a third of the way up.  They picked the stick up and tried again, but they still couldn’t get enough height on it.

Their brow furrowed with determination.  They let the stick slip form their hand, and grabbed hold of the cloth attached to it, swinging it beside them like a lasso.  They let go, and it clattered to the ground after reaching halfway up.  Slowly, their gaze drifted down, their head hanging.

Asriel stepped over to them, and put a hand on their shoulder.  “You okay, Frisk?”

They nodded resolutely.  “I’m looking for a rock.”

“A rock?”

“Yeah.  I can feel there isn’t enough weight to it.  If I had a rock, it could go farther, maybe.”

He nodded.  They both began to search the room for a rock.  At length, he found one, and handed it to Frisk.  They tied the rope around it securely, then set themselves in a stance to throw it again.  With a whooshing sound, the rope spun to their right before they released it.  A dull clatter came from the ceiling of the chamber, and Frisk put their arms over their head as the stone came plummeting back down.

“That was dangerous,” they said with a hint of a smile.  “I’ll be more careful.”

Eventually, the stick caught the ledge far above.  A quick tug revealed that it was well anchored.

They turned to look at him with a smile.  “Alright, I’ll go up first and tell you if it’s safe.  Okay?”

He waited a moment.  If he refused, would they stay?  Instead, he smiled, saying shakily, “I believe in you.”

With that, Frisk grabbed hold of the rope with one hand, then the other, fitting their feet into the loops on the rope.

Asriel watched them climb in silent worry.  He gasped when one foot slipped, the rope swaying as Frisk grabbed it tight, kicking their foot to find a foothold.  When they got one, they waited a moment, then glanced up and continued climbing with determination.  Soon, they reached the top, and Asriel watched them slip over the ledge.  Patiently, he waited for Frisk to call down that it was safe.

 

******************************************************************************************************************

 

Asriel awoke with a start.  The clearing had grown dark, the sound of crickets calling gently from above.

“Asriel!”

He looked up expectantly, but the hole in the ceiling remained unchanged.

“Frisk!”

His fur stood on end, and he stood up sluggishly.

Asgore and Toriel burst through the door to the room.  “Asriel!  There you are!” cried Toriel as she ran to his side, wrapping him in a hug.  She held him at arm’s length by the shoulders, and looked around the clearing.  “Where’s…  Frisk?”

Asriel looked up, a tear forming in his eye.  “They went up to the surface.  We were going to talk to the humans.”

Asgore and Toriel shared a worried look, then let their gazes rise to the hole in the ceiling.

“FRISK!”

“FRISK!!”

“FRIIIISK!!”

 

* * *

 

They cowered in the tall grass a moment longer before hazarding a step, then another.  These patches of grass were so tall, they were incapable of seeing over the tops of the blades.  The convenience of these fields was not lost on them, as they found themselves thanking it yet again to remain hidden from the armor-clad terror.  And, also, for the Monster kid, who they had seen lifted up by its head by the masked menace, distracting the knight who had given them chase.  Tenderly, they stepped out of the grass.

“Yo…”

Chara turned around to look at the monster kid as he pushed through the leaves to stand behind them.

“Did you see that!?  Undyne just…  TOUCHED ME!  I’m never washing my face ever again!”  The monster paused for a moment, surveying Chara.  “Yo, did you notice?  She seemed really mad about something!  She looked like she was going to blast me to pieces!  But…”  He looked down sheepishly, and kicked the dirt a little bit with one foot, letting a sigh pass from his mouth before continuing, “Then she decided to put me down.”  He snapped his head back up as they raised their eyebrows a little.  “Yo!  There’s always next time, right?  Let’s go!”

Chara followed the monster as it tripped, jumped up, and ran ahead.  After a moment, they stopped.  ‘She’?  Was that terrifying monster actually…  A woman?  With a shrug, they decided it didn’t matter, and kicked at the entrance to a mousehole, receiving a tiny squeak for their trouble.

As they walked into the next room, they caught a splash of blue and white, groaning as they recognized the grinning face of Sans the skeleton.

“What are you doing here?”  They asked, not masking their annoyance.

“I’m thinking about getting into the telescope business.  It’s normally 50000G to use this premium telescope, but…”  He looked away as he finished, “Since I know you, you can use it for free.  Howzabout it?”  He winked.

“No.”

He shrugged without removing the hands from his pocket.  “Well, come back whenever you want.” 

With a scoff, they turned and began walking away.

“I, uh…”  His voice stopped them, and a casual glance over their shoulder revealed he was looking at the ground in front of him.  “Heard through the grapevine that you said some things to my brother.”

Chara clenched their teeth, face unchanged.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull and looked at them, saying, “Look, I know that you have a thing against him.  Cool as I think he is, you and him get along about as well as oil and water.”  He shrugged, and put his hands back in his pockets.  “All I ask is that you try to work past it.  He’s a really good person if you get to know him.”

They squinted and turned more of their body to face him.  “How can he possibly help me get past Undyne, or do anything else worth the headache of talking to him?”

“I dunno.  He’s really trying to help you out, you know.  Besides I think you should just try talking to her, but that’s just me.”

“She tried to kill me.”

He shrugged

Their brow furrowed.  “You just want me to talk to everybody.  What makes you think I want to waste my time doing that?”

“You never know who can be helpful, you know?”

“Why would I want to get my hopes up?  I haven’t gotten any help from anybody since I fell, and good intentions only get one so far.  I mean, I kept thinking you would give helpful advice, but all I’ve gotten is unfunny jokes and poorly-timed hints.”

His gaze flicked away.  “Hey, sarcasm isn’t funny.”

“Neither are you,” they stated matter-of-factly.

He said nothing for a moment, then sighed and closed his eyes.  “Listen, kid.”  Slowly, his eyes opened, the pinpricks of light pointed at them, though his face remained focused on a spot on the ground.  “Monsters…  Some of us hurt without meaning to.  Some mean to, but do so because they have no faith in humanity.  If you gave them a reason to hope…  Maybe they won’t attack you.”

“You want me to be friends with everyone who is trying to kill me?”  They asked after a long moment.  “So far, not a single monster has not tried to kill me.”

He shook his head.  “You’re forgetting somebody.”  When their only response was a tilted head, he continued, “Papyrus captured you, but was careful not to kill you.  If you think monsters can’t be good because they try to kill you, then why do you see him as bad as well?”

“Because he’s a pompous, arrogant, self-righteous moron!”

Sans shrugged slowly.  “I’m no psychologist, but you I’ll bet you don’t have many friends back home.  And hey!” he added, as Chara’s fists balled in their hands.  “I’m just saying, there’s a lot more to monsters than simple concepts.  My bro tries his best to make people like him.  Not because he will gain anything from it, but because he genuinely likes to see people be happy.”  With a wink, he added, “besides, nobody likes to see people they care about SKULLking around.”

Chara groaned loudly and turned away.  But, they didn’t move.

“All I’m saying is, give Paps a chance.  Regardless of your intentions, just listen to him a little.  Hear the happiness in his voice, and the desire he has to help.”  After a pause, he added, “Do you think you can do that for me?”

Chara said nothing for a moment, then sighed loudly.  “No promises.”

Sans shrugged.  “That’s good enough for me.  By the way, if you take a left here, you can find some nice cream.  Really tasty.  Doesn’t melt, either.”  He winked again.  “It’s pretty COOL, if you ask me.”  He looked away, adding matter-of-factly, “Although, I can’t feel cold.  Because I’m a skeleton.”

They had the overwhelming urge to smile from out of nowhere.  But, they withheld as they walked into the cave to the left.

 

“Are those claws natural?”

They crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it into the swamp.  The treat had been really good, melting in their mouth just like all the other monster foods they had eaten.  But, obviously there was a target audience.  ‘Are those claws natural.’  Give me a break.  Humans don’t even have anything remotely resembling claws.

Though…  They smiled as they wondered how many monsters have claws.  The softly burbling moldsmals certainly didn’t, but then again, they surely lacked the intelligence to even read that paper, let alone be flattered by it.  But, Sans and Papyrus…  They realized it’s entirely possible their feet have clawed toes.  Then again, that flame monster back at the bar probably didn’t have toes of any discernible kind.

Their phone rang in their pocket, abruptly ending their train of thought.  A quick check revealed the same number as before.  Papyrus.  With a flick and a sigh, they answered it.  “You called me back, like I said not to.”

“BUT YOU ALSO TOLD ME TO BE USEFUL.  AND I WAS!!”

Chara snickered.  “How could YOU help me?”

“UNDYNE ASKED ME WHAT YOU WERE WEARING SO SHE COULD FIND YOU EASIER.  AND, I SAW YOU WITH A LOCKET EARLIER.  I TRIED TO CALL YOU TO ASK IF YOU STILL HAD IT ON, OR IF YOU HAD TAKEN IT OFF.  BUT, YOU DIDN’T WANT ME TO SAY ANYTHING.  SO I ASSUMED, SINCE I DIDN’T GET A CHANCE TO WARN YOU, THAT YOU MUST STILL HAVE IT ON.  SO, I TOLD HER THAT YOU WEREN’T WEARING A LOCKET!!  IT PAINED ME TO TELL SUCH A BOLDFACED LIE, BUT YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE KILLED.”

Chara stared at the marsh absently.  “You...  Helped me?”

“OF COURSE, HUMAN!  I CAN DO ANYTHING, REMEMBER?”

 

They narrowed their eyes.  “What did you say to her?”

“I TOLD HER YOU WERE NOT WEARING A LOCKET.”

They smirked.  “How exactly did you say it?  Tell me what you said as if I am her, and you are telling me what the human is wearing.”

“I THINK I CAN DO THAT.”  He cleared his throat.  “UNDYNE!  THE HUMAN IS NOT WEARING A LOCKET!”

Chara sighed heavily.  “So you told her, word for word, that I was not wearing a locket?”

“YES.”

They shook their head slightly.  “And you didn’t consider that she’s not as dumb as you are, and might still be able to put two and two together when she sees a human that IS wearing a locket around their neck stroll past her hiding place?  Why would she even be looking for a locket unless you told her that I wasn’t wearing one?”

“…”

“She laughed the entire time she was trying to kill me.  It was AWFUL.”

“AWFUL?  THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF FUN!!”

“She destroyed an entire bridge with her magical spears.  I’m surprised I wasn’t bleeding out in the river when she was done with me!  I could have died!!”

“OH…  WELL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL JUST HAVE TO TRY HARDER NEXT TIME!”

Chara put a hand out in front of them, though they knew he couldn’t see it.  “No need for that.  Please, just let me handle everything from here on out.  As a ‘friend.’  Can you do that?”

Silence lingered through the phone for a minute.  At length, the skeleton sighed.  “OKAY, HUMAN.  I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TRUST YOU TO GET HOME ON YOUR OWN.”

“Thank you.”  And, with that, they flipped their phone closed.

 

* * *

 

A figure steps into the light in the cavern.  He looks up for a few minutes, then kneels down on the spot his friend fell on so many years ago.  Carefully, he pulls a bandage from his pocket, and places it on the pile.  He stands up again, letting his eyes travel to the hole as he sighs.

“Frisk, please come back.  I…  I miss you.”

Soft footsteps echo from the clearing as the monster turns and leaves, his fur ruffling gently against his teenage frame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Fixed some glaring grammar issues, misspellings, and situational inconsistencies.
> 
> Oh, by the way guys... I have to say, I would love to see an AU where Frisk leaves like in this chapter, and the humans in the future fall on a bed of band-aids.


	20. The Journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A treasure trove of information is uncovered.

Frisk reflexively clutched the rope.  They glanced up with a longing in their eyes, but soon, they began climbing back down.

“Frisk?”

They touched the ground, letting go of the rope.  Immediately, they were sitting down, eyes misty.

“Are you okay Frisk?”  Asriel was on his knees beside them, gently squeezing their shoulder.

“I can’t…”  A tear streamed down their face.  “I can’t leave.”

A sympathetic expression came over his face.  “You couldn’t do it?”  He glanced at the rope, which gently swayed in the tiny eddies in the room.  “It’s pretty high up.  I can’t blame you for getting scared.”

They threw their arms around him, squeezing tightly as another tear fell from their face.  “I love you, Asriel.  You’re the brother I never had.  I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you!”

Asriel’s eyes flew open, but softened as he returned the hug.  “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, either.”

  

* * *

 

 Chara blinked slowly.  With a grunt, they sat up, their sweater clinging soggily to their back, sending a shiver through them as they rubbed the back of their head.

Ugh.  Stupid spear-throwing maniac.  At least she hadn’t destroyed the bridges this time.  Well, aside from the part where she cut it in half to let them plummet into the darkness below.  How far had they fallen?  Where had they fallen to?

They looked around.  There were massive piles of trash sticking out of the water, and more streaming down the falls.  Carefully, they picked themself up and waded through the knee-high filthy water.  They filled their pockets with astronaut food in a cooler before leaving the room without issue.   As soon as they entered Waterfall, they hung a right and left the town, opening the box in the hallway with haste.

The astronaut foods were emptied from their pockets, and arranged neatly on one side of the box.  As they brought the lid down with a click, they noticed a door cut into the stone.  Curious, they stepped inside.

“Woah there!”  An old turtle spun around to greet them, peering at them through one open eye and holding a magnifying glass.  “I’ve got some neat junk for sale.”

Chara blinked.  “What are you selling?”

“What are you lookin’ for?”

“I don’t have anything in mind,” they said with a slight scowl.  “Can you tell me anything about Undyne?”

“Undyne?  Yeah, she’s a local hero around here.  Through grit and determination alone, she fought her way to the top of the Royal Guard.”  His eye narrowed as he looked them over.  “Actually, she just came through here asking about someone who looked just like you…”  His eye shot wide again as he continued animatedly, “I’d watch your back, kid.  And buy some items.  It might just save your hide!  Wa ha ha!”

“Thanks.  But, I already know she’s looking for me.  And besides, I have plenty of food.”

The turtle squinted at them again.  “You think that’s all I have to sell?”  He laid his wares on the table.  “Take a look.”

With a sigh, Chara stepped forward, eyes flicking over each item in turn.  Finally, their gaze rested on a pristine notebook.  Gingerly, they picked it up, their curiosity getting the better of them.  A quick rustle of pages, and they were at one towards the end, eyes widening as they read.  With a snap, they closed it with one hand.  “How much is this?”

“That’s 55 gold!”

They fished the coins from their pocket and counted them, laying them on the counter with a jangle.  “Here you go.”

“Thanks!  Wa ha ha!” the old man cackled.  As they turned and left, he called after them, “Be careful out there, kid!”

Once outside, they sat down again and examined the notebook.  It was a smooth, leather-bound journal with a three-hole-punch.  A pocket on the side, which was undisputedly perfect for a pen, was empty.  Etched into the cover was a name…

‘Sean’

They turned it over to see if there was anything on the back.  When they found nothing, they turned it to the cover and opened it to the first page.

 

‘Dear diary:  Today my parents took me out to the museum.  When we arrived, we—’

 

Nope.  That page was useless.  They flipped all the way to the last entry, then went back a few pages.

 

‘Dear diary:  Today I ran away from home.  I can’t take living with them anymore.  I don’t know where this will take me, or if I have enough food, but I will persevere as always.

 

‘Dear diary:  Today I fell into a mountain.  As I write, I am sitting in a pile of flowers, which somehow saved me from my fall.  A fortuitous event that I have never heard of prior.  I feel compelled to explore this place.

 

Finally, the good stuff.  They subconsciously held the journal closer to their face.

 

‘Dear diary:  You have not been able to hold onto my experiences up until this point, so I will recount them here.  This place is literally magical.  It is the domain of a species called ‘monsters,’ which are not only very adept at using magic, but made of magic themselves!  I have learned a lot from them.  I have laughed, and cried, and given them advice to solve their problems.  But, I cannot escape.  And from the looks of things, I also cannot die.

‘I have died more times than I can, or want, to count.  The memory of it eluded my perception for a long time, but only recently have I recalled snippets from the space between reloads.  It has given me a brief glimpse of another option; to reset all my progress.  And I am glad, too!  When I first fell, I killed many out of fear for my life.  Once I realized I could not die, I felt bad about killing them.  If death is only a mere inconvenience for me, then there is no reason for others to suffer.  At the first chance I had, I reset the world so that those I had already killed would not remain dead.

‘I do not know exactly why death has blessed me with life, but I have a theory.  It is based entirely on the nature of Monsters.  I have asked many times if a monster has been able to survive death, and they have all answered with confusion.  ‘One cannot escape death,’ ‘death is permanent,’ and other, similar observations.  When I have mentioned that I cannot die, I have been met with skepticism, with the exception of Gerson the turtle.  He and I have had long talks about the nature of the human soul.

‘This leads into my theory.  Monsters do not have the ability to circumvent death like I do.  And, by stitching together the lore of this land, I believe I have an understanding about the war.  Because monsters cannot reload, it must be a human-exclusive ability.  I refuse to believe that I am alone in this power, which would mean that all humans have this power.

‘But, on the surface, when a human kills another human, the death remains permanent.  With this theory, that is because 1-1=0.  To clarify, one cannot reload over somebody else with the same power, whether that be to correct a mistake or to reload after a death.  But monsters, who appear to lack this power, would not be able to reload over a human.  Under this circumstance, 1-0=1.  This would explain why the monsters never managed to kill a single human during their war, and why so many of their own kind perished.  The humans could reload whenever they died, creating the most favorable possible outcome.

‘I wonder if there is anything that a monster could reload from.  But, I also wonder if they would be able to reload at all in the presence of humans.  I doubt I will get an answer to this question, but I assume the answer to both would be that they cannot.

‘I don’t entirely understand how one human would be able to reload when surrounded by hundreds of others with the same power.  Maybe an answer will present itself with more clues.

‘Also, why did the other humans that fell not reload?  Why are they not here?  How did they die?  Another question I cannot answer.

‘Moving on, a woman named Undyne has prevented me from continuing.  Even though I have been careful to not kill anyone, she refuses to let me pass, and I have died many times to her hands, as I have also killed her too many times to count.  I do not want my escape to rest on the lives of the innocent.  I have reset my progress multiple times to ensure I have not killed, or missed anything that could help me convince her to let me pass.  So far, I have found nothing.  She remains obstinate and fully set on killing me to free her people.  I will persevere, though.  There must be something I can do that will change her mind, and I am confident I will find it.  If I can get her support, I can make it to the King’s Castle with no problem, I am sure.

‘Whatever happens, I am not resetting again.  The answer surely does not lie behind me.’

 

‘Dear Diary:  I understand now.  Why the humans died.  They lost their hope, just like me.

‘It is my final desire to leave in you a list of everything I’ve learned, so that any more humans that fall here can gain the knowledge that took me weeks of resets to fully figure out.  Maybe it can save them some heartache, and give them the tools to stay hopeful.

‘Firstly, if you feel like you’ve gone as far as you can, you can go back to the point you fell.  It’s difficult, but if you think really hard, and let your mind fill with the thought of quitting, you can reset all your progress.

‘Continuing on that, if you think about what allows you to persevere, however small it is, you can return to that point later.  Think about it like ‘saving’ in a video game.  To ‘reload’ from this point, you should ‘quit,’ then fill your mind with the desire to continue from that point.

‘Lastly, you can see a few things about a monster if you look hard enough.  I have seen wispy letters come into existence, telling you that monster’s Defense and Attack stats.  Though I assume it is some sort of magic, I don’t know how it works.  It’s nice to be able to check a monster before you go into battle with it and, if you notice it, you can see how much health the monster has left, and how much damage you are doing to it.  Most monsters will let you spare them at low health.  While affective, it is just as easy to befriend them.

‘Anyway…  That’s that.  To whoever is reading this, I hope this was helpful to you.  With this knowledge, you can maybe go back to fix your wrongs, or make your journey easier than mine was.  I wish you luck, whoever you are, and keep persevering!’

 

An idle flipping of the pages following that final entry revealed nothing, save for a few doodles of unrelated things.  Carefully, they closed it.

This was a lot to take in.  They decide they’ll need a moment before continuing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into partially pre-written territory. The entirety of the journal entry on this chapter was hashed out around chapter 11.
> 
> We're getting closer to Undyne! Oh boy, things are about to start heating up.
> 
> Though, I'm genuinely not sure if I want to cover Tem village.


	21. The Ghost and The Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk makes a new friend. (Seriously, what else did you expect?)

Silently, the human crept into the corridor.

“Couldn’t sleep again, huh?”

Lazily, they rubbed their eyes on their sleeve.  “No…”

The dummy frowned slightly.  “I’m kind of worried about you.  But, I’m also kind of tired of thinking of things to talk about.  Three times in one week isn’t great for me.  I don’t have that much to say.”

“I know…  I’m sorry…” Frisk said, meekly.

Its face softened.  “It’s okay.  I already have a plan!  Though, I really should be insisting you go to bed…”  It shrugged as best it could without arms.  “I brought a friend.  He wanted to apologize anyways.”

They looked up hopefully.  “Oh?”

“Yeah.”

They waited for a minute.

The dummy looked around.  “Umm…  Blooky?  Are you here?”

A shape formed beside the dummy.  “Oh.  Yeah.  I’m here…  Sorry about that…”

Frisk’s face lit up.  “Napstablook!” they cried as they ran to hug him.  “I’m so glad to see you!”

“I…”  He looked down at the human hugging him.  “You shouldn’t be happy to see me…”

Rubbing the back of their neck, they said, “I know you feel bad about almost killing me, but really…  It’s okay.  You don’t have to apologize.”

The ghost stared at the ground.  “You’re too kind…  I don’t deserve that…  I almost killed you…”

They waved their hand dismissively.  “It was okay.  To be fair, I still feel kind of bad about what I did.  I didn’t really think about all the consequences when I made your cousin corporeal.  I didn’t even know that would happen, let alone…”  They hung their head a little.  “If anyone should be sorry, it’s me.”

Napstablook hung his head, gaze not shifting from the floor.

The dummy looked between the two.  “Alright, well, you can leave whenever you want.”

The sad ghost nodded absently.  “Okay…”

Frisk looked up.  “Wait!  I’d like to come with you.”

Napstablook looked up a little.  “I was just…  Going to go home…  I don’t want to ask you to come with me…”

They looked down for a moment.  “You’re right.  It’d be a bad idea to go too far from home without letting Mom and Dad know first.  And I’d rather not wake them up so late.”  A spark of hope shone in their eyes as they looked back at the ghost.  “Maybe we could go somewhere else?”

“Oh…  You’d want to do that…?   Well…  I don’t want to be a bother…  But if you insist…”

Frisk smiled.  “Of course!  Here, follow me.  I know just the place!”

“…Okay…”

Frisk led the way down the corridor towards the throne room, stopping to beckon to the ghost before slipping around the corner.  Napstablook caught up by the time they looked out over New Home.

“Hey, Napstablook…  How old are you?”

He remained silent for a moment, watching the sleeping city as they walked.  “I don’t know…” he said at length.  “There’s a lot of things I don’t remember anymore…”

“What don’t you remember?”

He shook his head.  “I don’t know…  I can’t remember…”

Frisk giggled.  “Fair enough.  I don’t remember the things I don’t remember, either.  Maybe it would be better to ask, what DO you remember?”

Napstablook was quiet for a moment.  When he spoke, there was an air of wistfulness in his voice.  “I remember…  My cousins, and being sad, and farming snails…”

They looked at him curiously.  “Snails?”

He nodded.  “Yeah, I farm snails.  Toriel and Asgore buy them all the time.  I’ve been doing it…  Forever…”

They nodded as well.  “So that’s where they get them from…”  Turning to him, they continued, “So, what else do you remember?”

He scrunched his face up a little.  “I remember…  One of my friends falling down…  I don’t remember who it was…  Or why they meant so much to me…  I remember being sad about that, but I’ve always been sad…  So maybe they didn’t mean as much to me as I thought they did…”

They looked at him in shock.   “Don’t say that!” they said animatedly.  “I’m sure they meant a great deal to you if you’re sad they’re gone!”

“I don’t know if I’m sad they’re gone…  I think I’m more sad…  That I can’t remember if they meant anything to me or not.”

As they entered the grand hallway, Frisk looked at Napstablook with pity.  “What’s the earliest thing you can remember?”

He thought for a long moment.  At length, he replied, “I think, at some point, I was happy.  But I can’t imagine why.”  He looked up.  “…Where are we, anyways?”

Frisk threw their arms wide.  “This is the Grand Hallway!”  They tapped their fingers together after such a grand introduction.  “This hallway looks kinda spooky in the low light…”

“Not really…  But I guess…  More so…  Now that I’m here…”

They thought for a moment.  “Actually, I think I like it more with you here.  Seems…  Right.  I mean, knowing there’s a ghost here, and that he’s very friendly…  I feel safe.”

“…”  Napstablook looked at them blankly.  “…You think I’m…  Friendly?”

“Yeah!”  They smiled wide.  “You aren’t mean like the dummy, and you aren’t rude like the rock.  You’re a little shy, but I can tell you always mean well!”

“That…  That’s awful nice of you to say, Frisk.”  A single tear strolled down his face, and he turned away.

“You want to keep going?  The throne room’s just up ahead.”

Napstablook looked towards the end of the hall, blankly.  “I think…  I won’t like it as much…  As I like this place right now…”

They sat down with a sharp sigh.  “Well, we’ll sit here, then!”

“Okay…” he said as he laid down beside them, staring at the ceiling.

“So, do you remember how old you are?”

The ghost thought for a long moment, eventually shaking his head.  “I can’t remember…  It’s been…  Too long…  The years just kind of…  Blend together.”

“Well, have you ever been to the surface?”

A pause.  “I don’t think so…”  He turned ever so slightly, putting Frisk in his peripheral view.  “What’s it like…  On the surface?”

They leaned against a pillar.  “It’s really bright, but it gets dark at night.  There’s stars, and blue skies, and storms occasionally.  There’s streets with hundreds of houses on them, almost anywhere you go.  And there’s places to eat and buy things just like down here.”

“Do you miss it?”

Frisk tensed up a little.  “I…”  They fidgeted with the hem of their sweater in contemplation.  “I don’t think so…  Everyone up there is so busy and impersonal.  But, everyone down here makes me feel…  Wanted.  Everybody has something nice to say, and total strangers are willing to spend time with me to get to know me.  It’s… not like that on the surface.”  Their face darkened slightly.  “Nobody wants to spend time with you, to get to know you as a person.  They don’t have the time, or the interest, and some of those that are nice don’t expect to meet you again, or want you to like them for whatever reason.  It’s just…  Not friendly like it is down here.”

Napstablook silently absorbed this information, the pair sitting in silence for a stretch of time.

They shifted their weight against the pillar awkwardly.  “So, did you live anywhere before your house in Waterfall?” they asked after a while.

He shook his head slowly.  “I don’t think so.”

“Do you have any parents?”

He stared at the ceiling blankly.  “Maybe…  I don’t remember who they were, or what they looked like.  Or even, if I had any…  To begin with.”

They looked at him sympathetically.  “I’m so sorry for you.  Not even knowing if you had parents…  I can’t imagine it.”

“It’s okay,” he said stiffly.  “You don’t have to be sorry for me…  I’m already sorry for me enough already…”

“Even so…  That makes me sad…”

He looked at them in alarm, or as much as he could while still wearing a blank expression.  “I don’t…  Want to make you feel sad.  I’m sorry for making you sad.  I…”

They knelt down beside him and put a hand where his shoulder would be.  “Don’t be sorry because I feel sad.  I just…”  Their other hand balled into a fist momentarily, and they sat on their calves with a huff.  “I want to help you.  I feel sad because I can imagine how sad you must feel, and nobody deserves to be that sad.”

He blinked at them, his mouth subtly creasing at the edges.  “That’s really nice of you…  Frisk…”  That smile soon died, though.  “But, I don’t know how you could do that…”

The smiled wide at him.  “It’s okay.  I’m determined to make you happy!  I’ll find a way, I’m sure of it!”

He turned all the way on his back again.  “Where will you start?”

They tapped their chin thoughtfully.  “Well, maybe we should start with what has been making you stay sad lately.  What makes you sad?”

Napstablook searched the ceiling for answers.  “I hate…  Not being able to remember anything.  Everytime I think I remember something, it just slips farther away.  Luckily, I still have my friends, but…”

After a pause that stretched for minutes, they prompted him to continue.  “But…?”

“But…  They just make me feel awkward…”

“How so?”

“Well…  It’s really…  It’s kind of…  They sort of…”  He paused for a moment before continuing, more carefully, “They always have to deal with me…  Being sad…  And not being able to think of what to say…  They get kind of frustrated…”

They kneeled forward again.  “You need to stand up for yourself!” they declared, throwing a fist into the air.  “Let them know that you’re trying, but that they have to give you some benefit of the doubt!”

Napstablook looked at them lazily.  “But, I can’t stand up for myself… I’m lying down.”

They met his eyes, and giggled after a moment.  “I meant metaphorically.  But, yeah, I’m tired too.”

“Oh…” he said.  “Ghosts don’t get tired…”

They tilted their head.  “Then why are you laying down?”

“Family tradition.  Do you…  Want to join me?”

“Sure!” they said as they laid down beside him.  With a stretch, they added, “We can continue this all another day…  When we’re standing up,” they added with a giggle.  “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

He remained silent for a long moment.  At last, he asked, timidly, “Do you like music?”

They smiled as they felt the universe draping itself over them like a cosmic blanket.  “Yeah.”

The two stared into infinity.  “I do too.  I’ve experimented a little bit, but I only have a few tracks.”

“I’d like to hear them someday,” Frisk replied, sleepily.

Napstablook smiled.  “I’d like that too.”

Staring into the depths of everything, Frisk closed their eyes and drifted into sleep, their spirit soaring past galaxies and stars and planets unknown as they dreamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is one you have all been asking for. We finally meet Undyne. Buckle your seatbelts! And then unbuckle them, 'cause it'll be at least a week and you need to get up to eat and stuff. But then, ho boy! Buckle that thing tighter than a hermetic seal.


	22. Undyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The helmet comes off.

“Yo!”

Chara tensed, carefully turning around on the rickety bridge.  Monster Kid was at the other end of the bridge, and he took a shaky step towards them.  After a moment catching his balance, he hurried the rest of the way over to them.

They gave him a dark look as he began to speak.  “Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but…  I wanna ask you something.”  He held his breath for a moment, then exhaled, continuing, “Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before.  Umm…  Yo…  You're human, right?”

They nodded stiffly.  Every moment they wasted here was another that Undyne caught up to them.  They had barely managed to give her the slip after his previous involvement, but now he was holding them back.

“Haha!”  The kid smiled wide.  “Man!  I knew it!  Well, I know it now.”  He looked around.  “I mean... Undyne told me, um, ‘stay away from that human.’  So, like, ummm…”

They watched him kick the wood a little, their impatience flaring.  Coldly, they asked, “What do you want?  I don’t have all day.”

“Oh, right.  Umm…  Could you, like, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?”

They chuckled.  “You really don’t want me to do that.”

Monster Kid looked at them with indignation.  “Yo, you think I can’t handle it?”

They tilted their head and smiled.  “No, I don’t.”

He puffed out his chest.  “Just try it!”

“Okay,” Chara said as they stepped towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder firmly.

He shivered under their grasp, but stared into their eyes innocently.  “Y-yo, what are you doing?”

They smiled cruelly.  “I can say a lot of things, Kid.  But, I’ve always found that actions speak louder than WORDS!”  They gave him a shove.

*NO!

Their sudden reconsideration made their hand falter as they pushed him over the edge, causing them to almost lose their balance.  Monster Kid’s eyes opened wide as he fell from the bridge, his scream fading as he slipped into the darkness.  They shook their head in confusion.  Why had they suddenly gotten second thoughts?

A glint of light caught their eye.  Undyne, in her armored glory, stood at the other end of the bridge, running towards them and looking over the edge.  As she prepared to jump, though, the screaming stopped with the dull sound of a thump from some unseen floor.  Slowly, the helmet turned towards them.

They took a step back as a low voice, dripping with emotion, rumbled from the metal. 

“You…  You killed him.”  She pointed a finger at them accusatorily.  “You KILLED him!  He did nothing to you, but…”  Her head hung low, then snapped up, her eye gleaming threateningly through her helmet.  “YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT PUNK!  NGAAAAAH!!!”

They turned to run, but their soul formed from below their chest and spears erupted from the ground to block their escape.  Before they could pull their knife, more spears flew from above, severing the bridge in front of them.  They had just enough time to realize what had happened before the wooden boards swung away from under their feet, and they plummeted into the depths.

Above them, Undyne drew a glowing spear and fell close behind.  Their vision blurred as they hit the ground hard, and again as she landed on top of them, driving her spear through their exposed soul as the last of their breath was crushed from their lungs.  The only thing they felt was pain, pain, pain.  Laughter echoed somewhere distant, unreachable.  And, somewhere in their mind, a thought surfaced.

*Serves you right. 

With that, they slipped into unconsciousness, their best effort to stay awake failing.

 

* * *

  

Frisk’s eyes drifted open, light streaming through the window onto their face.  For a moment, they closed them again to soak in the glow on their face.  At length, though, they rolled over and looked away from the light.

A look of surprise flashed across their face as they came nose-to-nose with two large, gaping eyes.

“Oh…  Sorry…  I didn’t mean to wake you up…” Napstablook said as he dematerialized, then appeared floating upright.  “I’m sorry…  I’ll be going now…”

They put out a hand, shouting, “Wait!”  They wiped their eye of sleep as they stood up.  “You didn’t wake me up.  Just, surprised me, is all.”  A polite smile found its way onto their face.  “It was really nice spending time with you, Napstablook!”

The ghost leaned forward and stared blankly at the ground.  “It was nice…  To spend time with you, too.” 

Their smile spread wider, creasing their eyes as they giggled.  “If you want to, you can come back here.  I’d love to spend some time with you again.”  Before he had a chance to say anything, they added, with a serious expression, “If you don’t feel like coming back, or you forget, or anything…  I’ll understand.  You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“Wow…  That’s…”  He looked them in the eyes for a moment, then looked away sheepishly.  “You’re too nice, Frisk.”  He waited a moment, adding, “Thank you.”

They bowed their head very slightly.  “No problem.  I like to help people.”

The ghost floated away.  “Well, I’m going now…  So…  See you around…  Later…  Bye…”

Frisk waved after him.  “Thank you for spending the night with me.  Have a safe trip home!”  When he was gone, they put their hand down and shuffled to the end of the hall.  Hopefully they could get back before Mom and Dad woke up.

“FRISK!?”

They sighed.  Too late for that now.

 

* * *

 

They stumbled as they walked, regaining their balance in just a moment.  Had they just…?  The memories flooded back, and they nodded grimly.  Undyne had killed them.  But, to be fair, they had killed kid in front of her.  This time, they would be sure to get it right.

By the time they reached the bridge, they knew exactly what they were going to do.  Crossing the bridge, they stopped as they heard him call out.

“Yo!”

They stayed still as he approached behind them.

“Yo, I know I’m not supposed to be h—“

Cold and collected, they muttered, “You know I’m a human, don’t you?”

He fumbled for words from the surprise question.  “Uh, yeah… Well, I mean, Undyne told me…”

“I don’t care.  I’m trying to get out of here.  If you stand in my way, then you get the knife.”  They held the knife to their side for emphasis.  “Capisce?”

They decided silence was answer enough, pocketing the knife as they stepped off the bridge.  A quick glance over their shoulder showed Kid kicking the bridge before Undyne appeared behind him, leading him back in the direction he came from before leaping into the shadows. 

They slowed as a mountain loomed across their path.  A deep red glow shone from somewhere close behind it, and at its peak, highlighted by the deep crimson color, was a silhouette they had become all too familiar with.  They put aside the question of how she got there so fast and chocked it up to her being a sly shadow-lurker.

Seizing their chance, they dashed through the entrance to the mountain.  After just a few steps, though, spears popped out of the ground and blocked their path, soul nearly brushing against the potent magic as it formed in front of them.

“HEY!  Where do you think you’re going?”

Begrudgingly, they pedaled backwards into the clearing, their soul slipping back beneath their sweater.  She stared at them through her armor for a moment.  At length, her voice rumbled from the mountaintop.

“Seven.  Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god.”  The shadow turned.  “Six.  That’s how many we have collected thus far.”  She turned to face them.  “Understand?  Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed.”

They gulped.  Understanding was making them anxious.  They weren’t worried about if they would die again.  They were wondering if it would be painful when they did.

“First however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people.”  She looked off into the distance, her grating voice as soft as it could be, as if recalling a fond memory.  “It all started long ago…”

They waited uneasily for her to continue, their heart sinking at her next words.

“No, you know what?  NO.  WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE!?!  NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”  In a flash, her helmet was ripped off.  “YOU!  You’re standing in the way of everybody’s hopes and dreams!  Alphys’s history books made me think humans were compassionate…  BUT YOU?”

Chara shuddered as she squinted at them.  This woman was much scarier than she was in the armor.

“You’re just a remorseless criminal!  You wander through the caverns, attacking anyone in your path.”

They pointed at her indignantly.  “It was self-defense, you bitch!”

“Self-defense?  HA!!  You didn’t kill them because you had to!  You killed them because it was easy for you.”  Her words dripped with hatred.  “Because it was fun for you.  Do you think it was fun when I found out…?”  She looked away.  “That big dog, who wanted nothing more than to play, was dead because of the whims of a single human?”  Her gaze returned to them, fierce as ever, her smile slowly twisting into a rictus smile.  “No.  But your time’s up, villain!  You won’t hurt anyone else.  A knight in shining armor has appeared.  And all the pain you inflicted on the fallen…  Every hope, every dream you’ve turned to dust…  She’s gonna send right back through her spear!  NGAHHH!!!”

They put their fist up, spreading their legs.  “Bring it, honey.  I’d like to see you try!”

“Well come on then!” she taunted back.  “Step forward and let’s end this!”

The wind howled through the valley.  They were determined to defeat her.  They took a step forward.  “Good luck trying to kill something that can’t die!”

She smiled.  “You think you can’t die, huh?  Then allow me to dissuade you of this opinion!”

Undyne leapt of the mountain, spear in hand, and landed in front of them with a crash.  She yanked her spear out of the ground and threw it at them, the spear sending a pebbles and dirt flying in its wake.  “Here’s a spear.  I like an even fight, unlike you.”

Chara picked it up and looked at it.  It seemed to vibrate with energy, and they held it in front of them as their soul floated out of their chest.  Another spear materialized in her hands, and she swiped it over their soul, turning it green.  They took a step back, but their soul remained in place.

UNDYNE – ATK 50 DEF 50

“While you’re green, you can’t run away.  Unless you learn how to face danger head-on, you won’t last a SECOND against me!”  She threw back her head and let out a hearty “NGAAAAH!” before she began to throw spears directly at their soul.

They stood between their soul and the approaching bullets, swinging the spear to knock each away with a satisfying ‘ding’ and smiling slyly.  “Too easy.”

“Not bad!  Then how about THIS!?”  Two spears materialized, one in each hand.  She threw them both, then leapt into the air and landed to their left, where she threw two more before jumping clear over them and throwing two more as she fell to their right (now behind them), sticking the landing with one spear pointing high into the sky.

The fifth spear hit their soul as they spun around to face her final jump, failing to anticipate the angle at which it was fired as she dropped.

They growled, “Now you’re taking this seriously.”  With a flourish, they pulled their knife from their pocket and raked it across her chest, scratching her armor, and paying careful attention to see her health as they landed their blow.

72 points.  Not bad.  But they could do better.

In fact…  Their grin widened even further with a thought.

Maybe they could do something else entirely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another special thanks to Amphouse, my proofreader and, most importantly, lore debater. I was on the fence whether the green mode spears were simply materialized or thrown. Discussing it with him, we decided it would be cooler, and entirely plausible, that she throws them. Especially considering her red soul mode attacks are clearly the two attacks used on the bridge.
> 
> Oh, by the way: I thought I'd include a little extra for you. My works go through many stages of development. One is the general idea of set pieces and their relation to each other. I would like to include the first pass of the bridge scene.
> 
> Monster kid ran up to them. “Yo, stuff.”  
> Chara smiled stiffly. “Words.”  
> Monster kid asked “Make me hate you?”  
> Chara tilts their head. “You can’t handle it.”  
> “You sure?”  
> “Yes.” Push.  
> Monster kid falls, screaming.  
> Undyne appears as a thud echoes from below. Screaming stops abruptly at same time.  
> Undyne glares at them. “You killed kid.”  
> “So I did.”  
> She breaks the bridge, jumps down after them, and skewers them directly through the soul with a spear as they land, and she lands on top of them. They die, the breath knocked out of their lungs from her landing.
> 
> My proofreader really finds these hilarious. I'll try uploading some of the stuff for future chapters that are thus laid out. This one was made several weeks in advance of the final chapter.


	23. Compromised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne is Undyne until the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Smokes people. I... I am so incredibly sorry. A month.
> 
> So, I had a half-completed chapter about two, two and a half weeks ago. Then my computer restarted in the middle of the night and didn't save a backup copy. So, I lost all the progress I had made on this chapter, and a lot of the will to continue writing.
> 
> While I did not stop writing, I did write much slower on the parts that had been completed before. These last three days was all new content, spurring about 1000 words to fill everything in.
> 
> As a result, this chapter is nearly twice as long as a normal chapter.
> 
> Sorry for the delay again, folks. In other news, I leave you with this: <https://discord.gg/7tSkPaE>  
> It is a discord channel. You can find more info at the bottom, but the long and short is that five authors have come together under one banner. We all frequent this channel on a near-daily basis. It is our hope that the fans will join and be merry and have fun with us and each other. Also, if you do join, you will be the first to know of hiatuses and other assorted events.
> 
> Don't know what Discord is? Check the bottom note for more info on that, too.
> 
> Finally, please note that, according to my best estimates, this work will have 40 total chapters. We're halfway there, people!
> 
> Well, I'll see you around either way. Enjoy the chapter!

As soon as Undyne stopped jumping around, Chara pointed their spear at her, catching their breath.

“You should let me pass,” Chara said, struggling to smile politely.

“Why, so you can kill more of my friends?  I don’t think so, punk!”

“Nah.”  They rubbed their chin for a moment, continuing, “I mean, I might do that, but ultimately, we have the same goal.”

Undyne leaned forward from on top of the mountain.  “How could WE possibly have the same goal?”

Chara smiled.  “What will you do when you leave the underground?”

“We’re going to give the humans all the pain and suffering we have endured.”  As Chara laughed, her eyes narrowed, and she demanded, “What’s so funny?”

“That’s what I want to do, too.”  They smiled.  “The people of my town hated me.  I was an outcast, and I came here to die because I didn’t think I could kill the people I hated.  But, when I was sure I would die…  I lived.  I’m convinced I’m meant to return to the surface and return all the hatred I’ve felt for so long.  It’s my destiny.”

Undyne scowled.  “While I can’t fault you for wanting to kill the humans, I can’t forgive you for killing my friends.  And you still intend to kill past this point?  I can’t condone that.”  She pointed a spear at them again.  “Now shut up and die!”

 

 

They switched up their tactic on the next reload.  “I’m genuinely sorry about killing all those monsters.  If…”  They let themself get choked up.  “If I had thought about it, or tried a little harder…  Maybe I could’ve…  Maybe they wouldn’t have…”  They clenched their fists and looked up at her with as hopeful a gaze as they could put on their face, continuing, “If I promise not to kill any more monsters, will you let me go?”

A smile flared across her features.  “You’re just trying to take the easy way out, you coward!”  As she brandished her spear, she added, “You sicken me!  NGAAAHH!!!”

Their soul turned green, and they shouted angrily, “I’m trying to work with you here, can’t you see that!?”

 

 

“Bring me to the exit of the underground,” they said as the spear came skittering to a stop at their feet.

She glared at them, unspeaking, spear vibrating threateningly in her hand.

With her silence, they continued, “If you bring me there, I can leave, and no more of your people will be killed.  Whaddaya say?”

“I think…”  She brandished her spear aggressively, shouting, “That you expect me to let you go, after everything you’ve done!  You’re as stupid as you are DEAD!  Fuhuhuhuhu!”

 

 

Undyne leapt off the mountain and tossed one of her spears at them.  “Awfully willing to have a fair fight, huh?” Chara asked casually.

She smiled dangerously in reply. “Yeah. I know I’ll win, so I figure I might as well give you a fighting chance!” With that, she wound her arm back in preparation to throw her spear.

“Wait!” Chara shouted desperately. Their previous plea had fallen on deaf ears, but they had a better offer this time. “I want to make a deal.”

“WHAT!?”

“Train me. I killed a bunch of you, and in the scheme of things, you haven’t really done anything bad to me.  The only thing I want to do is kill the people in my hometown, but they have weapons that are hard to dodge. I could really use some training.  In return, I won’t kill any more of your people.  And, really, by not killing me, I’ll be doing you a favor, paving the way for your eventual destruction of humanity. I might even throw in another human for you once I leave. Speed up your emergence.”

She squinted hard. “What.”

They shrugged. “I’d be like a man on the outside. You’ll get your human within a year, maybe sooner. You’ll all be able to leave, guaranteed, in a year!  I’ll stop killing, and I’ll escape with my life. All in exchange for a little bit of training. Deal?”

She gripped her spear tightly, glaring at them furiously. “No way! I don’t trust you to keep your end of the bargain at all! Now die!” The volley of spears started again.

 

 

“You know, I’ll tell you this:  The others didn’t die because I knew I could take them.  They died because they got in my way.”  A dangerous smirk touched their features, and they pointed their spear at her as they continued, “Just like you’re doing now!”

Undyne’s grin surpassed their own, and she demanded, “Are you threatening me?”

They shrugged.  “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.  But if you move, you won’t have to find out.”

The fish took a threatening step towards them.  “I’ll never back down!”

Chara smiled.  “You’ll regret that,” they boasted, slashing their knife across her chest.

 

 

Their anger wore thin.  “I’m going to paint the walls with your dust!” they shouted goadingly.  They deflected a faster-than-usual barrage of spears without missing a single one.  “You’re going to die knowing you could’ve prevented the death of so many more innocents, but didn’t!  I gave you a chance, but you’re so stubborn you would never accept it!”

She growled, “Shut up already!  You’re not getting past me!”

 

 

As soon as Undyne landed, Chara stabbed her with their knife.  The armor yielded satisfyingly against their blade, and they yanked it out.

With the butt of her spear, she knocked them back, throwing the spear at them so hard it stuck out of the ground right beside their feet.  “Pick it up,” she ordered.

Chara complied, pointing it at her in anger.  “Reasoning with you is pointless.  Prepare to die!”

She scowled.  “Hey!  That’s MY line!”

 

 

She charged at them, just as their soul turned red, and they moved it to the side to avoid it, as they had learned so many times now.  Suddenly, an idea struck them.

While their soul was green, it couldn’t move.  But…  It was red…  Did that mean…?

With a flourish, they turned on their heel and ran down the path.

Angrily, Undyne shouted after them, “Hey!  Stay here and fight me, you punk!”

 

 

37 times.

37 times, their soul had been run through with spears.

They had been foolish to think they could talk things out with a murderous, vengeful fish, and killing her proved just as difficult.  Since they discovered they could run, it was enough if they could escape with their life.  Maybe they could ambush her later.  Waves of heat washed over them as they dashed to the end of the hallway, coming close to a large ticker board welcoming them to Hotland.

“You’ve escaped from me for the LAST time!” 

Their soul turned green, and they skidded to a halt, waving their spear to protect their soul as she stomped up to them, throwing one of her own.  In seconds, she was jumping all around them, spouting nonsense they’d heard a dozen times already.  They felt a touch of embarrassment that it had taken them this long to realize they could simply run away when she took her cheap shot.  But in the end, here they were.  Dodging the backwards spears was a challenge, and while they still got hit multiple times, the nice creams in their pocket were more than refreshing enough for them to keep going, as their dodging skills had greatly improved.

Once again, their soul turned red, and they scrambled to get away from her as she charged them, spear in hand.

Then their pocket rang.  Surprised, they stopped and pulled it out, casting an uneasy glance at Undyne and sighing with relief at the sight of her tapping her foot angrily.  They gave her a small wave, receiving an angry snort.

“HEY!  WHAT’S UP!?” the phone blared.  They scowled as they confirmed the voice of the only person who had called them up until now.  “I WAS JUST THINKING…”

“No.  Papyrus, no.  Whatever you’re about to say, absolutely not.  How many more times do I need to tell you, you stupid bag of bones!?  STOP CALLING ME!!”

“BUT, I THOUGHT THAT—”

Seizing an opportunity, they sprinted away.  Undyne scrambled behind them as they shouted into the phone, “I’m in the middle of being killed, you dumb skeleton.  Leave me alone!”

“STOP RUNNING AWAY!!!” shouted an angry voice from close behind them.

“BUT—”

Chara briefly looked in awe at the volcanic chamber, shouting into the phone, “Shut up Papyrus.  I don’t care about anything you have to say to me,” as they ran past Sans’s booth.  Clicking it shut as they ran onto the bridge, they stole a glimpse behind them to see Undyne angrily waving her hand in front of the sleeping punster’s face.

As they reached the other side, they couldn’t help but listen to the heavy footsteps growing softer.  Startled, they realized her steps were slowing, and they stole a glance over their shoulder, smiling at the sight.

Undyne was walking now, no longer running after them.  Her foot dragged against the wooden bridge, and the next foot moved even slower.

Confident, they turned fully around and stopped running, putting their hands on their hips.

“Armor…  So…  Hot…”  Her head fixed them with an icy glare, despite the heat of their surroundings.  “But I can’t…  Give up…”  With tremendous effort, she placed another foot down.  Then another.

As she took another step, however, she faltered, wobbled, and fell flat on her face.  Chara smiled and walked over to her.

“Not so tough now, are ya!?”  Fueled by anger, Chara planted one foot firmly against her shoulder plates.  “Have fun in the sauna.”  They prepared to push the deadly fish with all their might—

*Stop!

They narrowed their eyes.  Though they had the intent, a part of their mind rebelled.  Grimacing, they cast the thought aside and pushed, moving her closer to the edge, sending one of her arms dangling over the side.

*You don’t have to do this!  You can help her!

 A suicidal thought.  If they let her live, she would surely kill them, and they’d have to start the battle again.  That would be an annoyance they couldn’t allow.  Besides, she didn’t believe they would live up to their word.

*But maybe you can prove it to her!

They paused.

*Prove to her you can change!  Save her life!

Setting aside how that idea MIGHT POSSIBLY work, why had they even had that thought when they so wanted to kill her?

*…

Sighing, they removed their foot from the fish’s armor and reflected on the situation at hand.  They could honestly say that making this decision filled them with determination.  They were willing—barely—to give it a shot.  But, if it failed, they’d try again.  They already got past her once, surely they could do it again.

They reached out to grab her, recoiling at the searing heat of her armor with a gasp.

Looking around, they spied a water cooler.  How out of place it looked in this land of heat and magma.  Nevertheless, they pulled a cup from the stack and filled it with cold water, thinking about how they would convince her to do what they wanted.

Chara knelt down beside Undyne while holding the cup of water, the cool liquid trickling over their hand as the cup itself began to evaporate.  “Undyne,” they said, holding it just above her head and letting the water drip onto her gills.  As she stirred, they continued.    “You are really interesting.  I have to say, I admire you.”

She spat at them.  It was a feeble gesture, landing in the charred soil directly in front of her face with a sizzle.  Still, it made them chuckle.

“You don’t have to like me.  Just know that I can use your help to complete a common goal.”

The trickling water was reviving her.  “W…  Why….  Would I want…  To help you…!?”

“Because otherwise, I’ll push you off this bridge, and continue on to the castle regardless of your assistance.”  They pouted dramatically.

She stirred a little more under the constant drip.  “Just… do it then!”

“But then you won’t be able to help me!”  They sighed.  “I’ll spare you, Undyne, with the caveat that you train me to be a better fighter.”

Her single eye burned into them.  “Why?  So you can… kill more monsters… even easier?  I don’t think so!”

Shaking their head, they replied, “No, I’ll…”  They shuddered dramatically.  “I’ll stop killing your friends.  Just for you.”  They moved the cup over her face, and it dripped around her prominent features.  She closed her eye briefly against the trickle, stirring a little more.

“Go to hell.  I’m not making… a deal with you.  Punk!”

Chara frowned.  “Why did I think this would work?” they said aloud, more to themself than to Undyne.  Getting up, they tossed the cup of water over the edge of the cliff face, prepared to abandon her.

A hungry yellow eye followed it as it fell into the lava far below, before flicking to them with a scowl as she watched them walk away.  “So that’s it…?  You’re just going to… leave me here…”  As she spoke, precious drops of water flicked from her lips.  “You don’t even have… the decency… to finish me off!  Coward!”

Chara spun on their heel immediately, tilting their head as they walked toward her.  “So be it.  I will end this one way or another!”  They placed their foot on her shoulder again.

Undyne forced her eye closed, and gritted her teeth.  Suddenly, there was the sound of hissing, and the flow of hot liquid against her skin.  But…

She opened her eye slowly, cautiously.  She was staring at the ground in front of her.  Confused, she looked up at Chara.  The child held a cup of water in their hand, and they were pouring it out across her armor.  The liquid seeped through the cracks, drawing heat from the metal as it flowed across her skin.  Soon, the water grew cool as well, before the final drops dripped onto her gills

Disbelief shone in her eyes as Chara turned around and walked away.  She called out, “Wait!”

They stopped.  “What?”

Searching for words as she stood shakily, Undyne asked the only one that tied every question in her head together.  “Why?”

A snicker.  “You refused to help me.  It’s no punishment if you don’t get to see me kill the ones you love.”  With a flourish, they turned their back to her again.  “Now don’t get in my way.  You wouldn’t accept my deal, so now you’ll see how awful I can truly be.  And…”  They looked at her ever so slightly from over their shoulder.  “I get the feeling you won’t be able to follow me any further, what with that reaction to the heat.  So good luck catching me!”

In a flash, she stormed over to them, roughly grabbing the back of their collar.

“A-ack!”

Over the bridge, past Sans, and into Waterfall, Undyne dragged the kicking child behind them.

“I’ll kill you!  I won’t hesitate this time!”

Roughly she tossed them on the ground, pointing at them.  “I’m not gonna kill you.”  With a squint, she added, “Yet.”  She sighed.  “I need to talk to you, but if we talked there, I’d collapse again.”

Chara scoffed.  “Haven’t you said enough?  You’re standing in my way.”

Her voice raised.  “Well, I’m not gonna let you kill any more innocent monsters!”

Chara put one leg underneath them as they stood up.  “Good luck trying to kill me, you fish stick.  I know your tricks, and I won’t be fooled again.”

She conjured a spear and aimed it at them.  “Shut up!”

Their soul slipped out from under their sweater, and they dropped into a defensive stance.  “So we’re doing this again?  Alright!”  They drew their knife from their pocket.

“No!  You don’t get it.  You want to get past me?  Fine.  I know I can’t stop you now.  But…  I’ll be damned if I let you kill anyone else.  You want me to train you?  Also fine.  But if I find out you so much as hurt a hair on any other monster’s head ever again?  I will find you, and I will kill you.  Do you understand?”

Chara stood in awe.  They had…  She had actually agreed?  This meant so much.  They honestly didn’t think it’d work, but it did!

*I told you.

They…  ‘They told themself?’  How did that make any sense?  They—

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND, HUMAN!?”

They snapped upright.  “Yes!” they replied hastily.  “You’ll kill me if I kill anyone blah blah blah.”  Let’s just get to training already!”

She waved a finger.  “Not so fast.”

They looked at her indignantly.  “What now?”

She smiled.  “I still don’t believe you plan to not hurt any more monsters.  So, before we start training, I’m going to ask you to do something to prove you can change.  That you can learn to be nice to monsters.”  Her stance changed, and she put a hand on her hip.  “I couldn’t help but hear how you talked to Papyrus…”

Chara groaned outwardly.

She pointed at them, shouting, “HEY!  I don’t know what your problem with him is, but you’re going to be his friend, whether you want to or not!”  The smile returned as she added, “Otherwise, I’ll refuse to train you, and still kill you if I hear you killed another monster.  It’s a lose-lose situation if you don’t befriend Papyrus!”

The hung their head and leaned against the wall.  “I knew I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t.  Thanks for that, by the way.  But you want my help?  You play by my rules.”

They scoffed.  “Sure, whatever.”

The woman in armor put her hand out, palm up.  “Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I left my phone at home.  I’m gonna call Papyrus.”

“Now!?”

“Yes, now!  Seriously, you expect me to wait any longer?  I want you outta here as much as you do.  Now give me the phone!”

Chara placed it in her hand as hard as they could, with a hope in the back of their mind that it would break on contact.  Unfortunately, it didn’t, and she flipped it open.

“Wow, he’s called you three times already?”  Her face paled.  “Are you the one who got him to lie?”

Chara snickered.  “No, he did that all on his own.  Lot of good that did.”

Her glare belied the hint of a smile.  “Never thought he would lie for anyone, least of all someone like you.”  She sighed, pushing the redial button.

On the second ring, the call connected.

“HUMAN!!  ARE YOU NO LONGER DYING?”

They grimaced.  His words were clearly audible, even from this distance.

“Hey Papyrus.  It’s Undyne.”

“U-UNDYNE!!  IS THE HUMAN…?”

“Don’t worry, Paps.  The brat is fine.”  With a malicious grin at them, she added, “In fact, we’re… ‘best friends’ now!”

“REALLY??  WOWIE!!!  I KNEW THEY COULD DO IT!!”

Her grin widened even further.  “You know, they talked about you a lot, too.  They even told me they’re totally tsundere for you!”

“OH MY GOD!?!  IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!  I WAS REALLY WORRIED THEY DIDN’T LIKE ME AT ALL!!  BUT OF COURSE NOBODY COULD HATE THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!  EVEN IF THEY HAVE A REALLY WEIRD WAY OF SHOWING IT…”

“Yup.  In fact, I’m gonna drop them off at your house right now.  That okay with you?”  She shifted her weight on her hips, making the metal in her suit scrape softly against itself.

“OF COURSE IT IS!  I’LL TIDY UP THE HOUSE FOR THEIR ARRIVAL RIGHT NOW!  OH BOY, THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!!  I GET TO HANG OUT WITH THE HUMAN!!”  A pause.  “DO YOU THINK I SHOULD CONSULT THE HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK OR THE DATING RULEBOOK?”

Undyne rubbed her face.  “Aren’t they, like, the same thing?”

A brief screech was emitted from the phone.  Even Undyne had to hold it away from her head a little.  Meanwhile, Chara hung their head in their hands, contemplating where their life had gone so wrong that they deserved this.

The skeleton continued, “THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!  THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF USE ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!!”

She put one hand out placatingly, even though the monster on the other end couldn’t see it.  “Okay, okay.  Umm…  Better get the dating one.”

Chara buried their face further in their hands.

“OKAY!!  WOWIE, I’M GOING TO GO ON A DATE!!  WITH THE HUMAN!!!  THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!”

Undyne shook her head a little.  “Alright, well, we’ll be there in a few minutes.  See you then!”

“OKAY!  TAKE CARE, UNDYNE!!”

The phone was flipped closed, and tossed on the ground in front of Chara.

“You so much as scratch one bone on his body, and you’re dead!  Got it?”

They nodded meekly.  This was so degrading.

“Get on my back, I’ll run you there.”

Chara pouted.  “I can walk, you know.”

She growled in reply, “Yeah, but you could also kill someone who steps in your way.  You’re riding on my back.”

“Why don’t we just walk together?”

“Because I don’t feel like walking beside an unreformed murderer.  NOW GET ON MY BACK!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This past month was hell. Promising all that stuff last chapter was pretty much hell for me. "Next chapter will be undyne" and ending the last chapter with "Maybe they can do something else..." These were poor decisions which seemed okay at the time but became a curse once the writing was lost.
> 
> Anyways, I know I don't say this, but thanks for all the support you'd given me over previous chapters. Though not a lot compared to... Well, monsters like GQ, SC, and G#90, it's still more than I've ever gotten for a work of my own hands.
> 
> I may not say it every chapter, but I mean it. Thanks.


	24. Drawers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk fluff; the plot advances ever so steadily.

The tape begins; the screen is completely dark, and remains so throughout the video.

A feminine voice, choked by sobs, pleads, “Frisk, can you hear me?  We want you to know…  We love you.  If we could’ve…”

A rumbling voice interrupts.  “Frisk!  You have to stay determined!  You can’t give up…”  A deep sob.  Quietly, he adds, “You are the future of humans and monsters…” 

The holder of the camera sniffles in turn.  “This is all my fault…  Please come back.  I…  I miss you…”

 

* * *

 

The children kicked their feet against the ledge, far above the pit of roiling magma.  “You said that the core was generating electricity.  But how can it do that if it’s not finished yet?”

Asriel sighed, exasperated.  “The Core isn’t complete, but the generator part of it is!  What they’re putting in now is the biggest puzzle in the history of the underground!”

“Ohhhh!”  Frisk tilted their head.  “Why would you do that?”

Asriel shrugged.  “It’s monster tradition.  Build puzzles everywhere, in case a human comes through.”

Frisk smiled.  “That seems really silly.  I mean, I got here, and I haven’t seen any puzzles.”

“You haven’t seen the puzzles!?”  Asriel stood up, yanking Frisk to their feet by their hand.  “We need to change that now.  You’ve got to try the puzzles!”

 

 

“Come on, Frisk, there’s no puzzles in our old home!”

Frisk smiled.  “If there was a puzzle would you know about it?”

“No, but,” he shook his head.  “I really don’t think they’d put a puzzle inside a house.”

“But I want to make sure I find all these puzzles!  The one’s we’ve been through so far are so fun!”

Asriel looked around the hallway as they stepped out of his old room.  “I won’t stop you, but I doubt there’d be a puzzle in here.”

Frisk opened the door to the next room, cringing at the squeak of the hinges.

“Frisk, this is mom’s room.”

They walked up to the chest of drawers.

“Frisk, what are you doing?” he bleated.

They yanked the top drawer open.

Asriel instantly averted his eyes.  “Oh my gosh, Frisk!  I don’t want to see those!”

They blinked, holding up one of the offending articles with confusion.  “Socks?  Why are these so gross to you?  They’re just socks.”  They pulled up the bottom of their pants and pointed to their shoes.  “Socks just go on your feet.  I wear them all the time!”

“Oh my— you wear them on your feet!?”

Frisk’s face scrunched up in further confusion.  “Yeah?  I don’t get what’s so wrong about that.”

“N-never mind.  Can we just get out of this room?”

They sighed.  “Sure.”  They went to close the drawer, but a dark reflection caught their eye from the back of the drawer.  “Hang on,” they said, reaching back and wrapping their fingers around the object.  “I found something.”  They pulled it out.

Asriel tilted his head.  “What’s that?”

Their fingers slipped into the strap on the side, their other hand running over the buttons and screen.  One button was pushed, and a door on the side opened up.  A tape popped out.

“It’s a camera.”

“What is a ‘camera’?”

They looked at Asriel through the eyepiece and explained, “It records videos that you can watch later and laugh at.  As long as you can see them through this eyepiece, you’ll be able to see them in the video later.”  Bringing it down to look at the buttons, they continued, “All you need to do to record a video is hit this red button here.”  They pointed to it.

He scratched his head at this information.  “So, if we had this during the scary story, then we could’ve seen it again and again?”

Frisk nodded.  “Yes, exactly!”

“So, how could we see it again?”

They tapped the little door on the device.  “There’s a tape in here.  You put that into a VCR, and you can watch it on a TV.”

“Is there anything on that tape?”

Frisk looked at it pensively.  “I…  I don’t actually know?”  Cautiously, they looked at every button.  “Some video cameras have a ‘preview’ button…  Maybe we can watch it on the camera…”  Their face lit up as they shouted, “Yes, it’s right here!”  They pushed it down, and it began to play the film.

 

Toriel’s voice came out through the low-quality speakers.  A little tinny, but identifiable.  “Psssst.  Gorey, wake up.

Asgore’s followed, cloaked in weariness, “Mmm?  What is it, dear?”  A pause.  “Err, and why do you have that video camera?”

“Shush!  I want to get your reaction.”  She cleared her throat.  “Gorey, dearest.  What is my favorite vegetable?”

“Hmm…  Carrots, right?”

“No no no!  My favorite vegetable is…”  She paused dramatically.  “Eda-MOM-e!”  After a long silence, she asked cautiously, “Get it?”

There was a rustle of sheets, and a deep sigh before Asgore said, “Go back to bed, dear.”

Her voice was light with cheer.  “No no!  Not yet!  Hee hee hee.  Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?”

“Hmm… I don’t know, honey.”  There was humor in his voice.  “What kind of dog would you be?”

“I would be a MOMeranian.  Hohoho!”

“You sure are excited to have this child,” Asgore pointed out.  “You know, if you keep making jokes like this, one day, you could be a famous MOMedian.”

 

Asriel snickered, and Frisk shot a hand out to cover his mouth, a smile on their own lips.

 

“Well, I am going to bed.”

Mock indignation rang through the King’s words.  “Hey!  Come on, Tori!  That one was funny!”

“Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you.  Goodnight, dear.”

“Goodnight, honey.”

The sound of sheets rustling comes through again, along with the clatter of someone fumbling with the camera.

Then Toriel speaks, close to the microphone.  “Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out.”

Then the video goes to static.  Frisk turns it off, and the pair immediately break down into a giggle fit.

Trying to compose himself, Asriel asked, “So that was Mom and Dad, huh?”

Frisk nodded, still chuckling.  “Sounds like this was made before you were even born!”

The laughs subsided.  “That was so funny!  I want to watch it again!”

They closed the viewing screen, however.  “We can watch it again later, with Mom and Dad.”

“That’s a great idea!”  Asriel smiled at the thought.  “I’m sure they’d love it as much as us!”

A nod.  “I’d like to ask their permission to use the camera to record us, too.”

“What will we record?” asked Asriel, curiously.

“Something funny, like…  I dunno.  Maybe this?”  With that, Frisk put their head down, the bangs obscuring their face as they stretched the corners of their mouth with their fingers.  When they looked up, Asriel bleated in alarm at their stretched mouth and eyes.

Then, he laughed.  “That’s a silly face, Frisk!  Haha, yeah, we’ll record that!”

Frisk put the camera in their pocket.  “Let’s do the rest of these puzzles while we’re here, though.”

 

Toriel and Asgore laughed heartily as Frisk closed the viewing screen.

“I had almost forgotten about that!” Toriel said with a smile.  “Wherever did you find it?”

“It was in the sock drawer!” Frisk shouted gleefully.

Toriel blushed indistinctly, then patted them on the head.  “Next time, don’t rummage through other people’s things, dear.  But, thank you for finding it.”

“Indeed.  That was very amusing,” Asgore added.

Holding it close, they asked, hesitantly, “I was… actually wondering if you would let me and Asriel keep it?  So we can tape each other?”

The monster parents looked at each other, each giving a small nod.

“Of course you can have it,” Toriel cooed as she looked back to them.  “I look forward to seeing what you two can make!”

“Thanks, Mom!”

Toriel startled, wrapping her arms around the surprise hugger with a smile.  With her paws, she guided Asriel and Asgore in for one as well.  “I love you all.”

Muffled by fur, Frisk and Asriel responded, “I love you too, Mom.”

“I love you too, honey,” Asgore added.

A long moment passed, Frisk soaking in the feel of fur on their skin and the smell of sweet magic.  At length, though, they pulled away as the hug broke apart.  “Mom?”

“Yes dear?” she replied with a smile.

“Do you have any empty tapes?  I don’t want to ruin this one.”

“Of course!  I’ll go to the store very soon to get you some.”

They flashed her a smile.  “Thanks, Mom!”

“It’s no problem, my child!”  She looked at the clock on the wall.  “Oh!  It’s nearly time for dinner.  I’ll run out and get those tapes for you after we eat, okay dear?”

A quick nod and a hungry smile.  “Okay!”

Asriel bounced beside them.  “Are you gonna make snail pie again?”

Toriel chuckled.  “I was actually thinking of trying something else.  I’ve never made soup before, and a man at the store was kind enough to give me a recipe for mushroom stew.”

Frisk scrunched their face up.  “Mushrooms?  Can’t we just have snail pie?”

 

 

As Frisk handed Asriel the camera, they pointed to the lens.  “Make sure you take the lens cap off before you start recording, and make sure you can see me through the eyepiece.”

“Okay.  Where’s the button?”  Frisk took a step towards him, but he hastily added, “Nevermind, I found it.”

“Is it recording?” they asked.

Asriel gave them a thumbs up. “All right Frisk, are you ready? Do your silly face!”

Frisk put their head down, hooking their thumbs into the corners of their mouth and their fingers right under their eyes and pinch, just like before.   Then they turn to look up at Asriel and the camera, still pinching as hard as they can, sticking their tongue out for extra silliness.

Asriel jumped back. “AHHHHH!  Hee hee hee!” He looks down at the camera. “Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on.”

Frisk laid back on the wall. “Missed your chance.”

Asriel looked up in concern.  “What!? You’re not gonna do it again?”

Frisk shook their head.

Asriel pleaded, “Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!”   He pushed the button to stop recording and put it down.  “Wasn’t this your idea in the first place?”

Frisk smiled.  “Yeah, it was.  We can try again tomorrow, though.”

“Friiiisk!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a long time, I was planning on changing the momeranian joke to "If I were a cat, what type of cat would I be?" "A MOMcat!", but a couple of things happened. Firstly, I thought it was awful. Secondly, in a control group, 75% said it was awful. And, thirdly, there's no solid evidence the joke was based off the Annoying Dog. It could've just as easily been based off the greater Dog's father or something.
> 
> Anyways... I'm going to VERY TENTATIVELY say next chapter is a Chara chapter.
> 
> Frisk has two months (in universe) to live. Look forward to the Dreemurr Tragedy! I know I am! =D


	25. Well crap.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter, but an update.

So, my computer blue screened last night. After failing to find a boot repair tool online (Windows apparently doesn't provide downloads), I took it to my local electronics store. They tell me the hard drive is completely ruined, and there's no way they can do it in-house. They tell me they can send it somewhere else, where they'll dismantle the hard drive in a clean room and attempt recovery there. They tell me it'll cost $500-$1500. Everything that Redswap is and will be is stored on that computer. About 5 chapters worth of notes, and a near-full chapter that brought me to tears as i wrote it. So, I'm going ahead with the restore.

Now, this thing... It will either drain half of all my funds or completely bankrupt me for the next two months. Which really sucks, because I promised $2500 to someone, that they'd get it by the end of the year. So.... Either that item will be cancelled (An item that will cause Redswap to change its form), or I can ask for assistance.

Circumstances are dire. Plans are for sure going to be postponed, but if no money is raised, I won't be able to make a new chapter for at least two months, until such time as I can pay the money to claim the information on the drive. As it stands, delays will hover around two weeks for the drive to return. So, we have two weeks to raise at least $500. I do not expect to reach a thousand, let alone cover the full cost of the procedure. Any help is good help. 

I've started a GoFundMe... You can find it in the end notes.

Until such time as a new chapter can be uploaded, have a good day. And thank you for your support and interest.

See you around!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Support the author in his fight to save Redswap!](https://www.gofundme.com/273u6vjw?utm_medium=wdgt) Edit: What the hell? It's not working... It refunded everything.
> 
> *pinches bridge of nose* Ugh, I'll fix this. Stupid gofundme...

**Author's Note:**

> For a while, an author named HybridKylin has been making a Redswap fic as well. I have to say... It's very good. If you want an alternative to this narrative, or additional reading material on the red swap, I highly recommend you check him out.
> 
>  [Weather House by HyrbidKylin](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6509224/chapters/14895385), an endorsed Redswap work.
> 
>  
> 
> Additionally, there is a new [DISCORD SERVER](https://discord.gg/7tSkPaE) for this and (currently) four other series! These other series are:  
> [The Golden Quiche, by Sophtopus](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5296460/chapters/12226634),  
> [The Still Counting series, by Blue Twilight](http://archiveofourown.org/series/398827),  
> [Genocide Number Ninety, by BookishAngel](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5672362/chapters/13067368),  
> [Soul Dichromatism, by BlackRazorBill](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6883084/chapters/15702928),  
> [Various stories, by GretelSweetz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretelSweetz/pseuds/GretelSweetz),  
> And weather House, by HybridKylin (listed above)
> 
> Don't know what a 'discord' is? Fear not! I will tell you now. Discord is a chat service like skype, and a voicechat service like teamspeak. The primary focus is the text, but the integrated voicechat works in games and the like. It's absolutely free, plus you don't need to download a standalone application to run it! You can chat with any server directly from your browser, and use all features (except for game detection to let other people know what you're playing). 
> 
> We all frequent this channel on a near-daily basis. It is our hope that the fans will join us for great times, bad memes, and riveting discussions. Also, if you do join, you will be among the first to know of hiatuses and other assorted events. We are all excited to get to know our fans more!
> 
>  
> 
> So, tl;dr Discord is a free, in-browser chat/voicechat service that anyone can join. We look for new authors, and new fans to join us.
> 
> If you have a discord account, I hope to see you there!


End file.
